Unbreakable
by Theatreismyhome
Summary: 'By the time the man was discovered, he was dead and his killer was gone.' She was a trained assassin before she was found by the X-men. Rated M for Language and Violence. Nightcrawler/OC
1. Prologue

Prologue.

A man stood out on the balcony, scanning the terrace below. His hardened eyes checked and double checked every bush and path of the garden before lifting his wrist to his mouth. "Gardens are all clear." The man spoke into his intercom, before walking into the well-lighted ballroom.

The ballroom was packed with people, dressed in fancy and festive attire, who were seated at numerous tables. Their dresses and suits paled in comparison with the splendor of the ballroom itself. The sterling silver utensils glistened on the table and the linen napkins lined the perimeter around glazed white plates. The walls and carpets shown with a happy glow as the lights from the many chandeliers lit the room. Facing the tables was a small stage, and, at the center of the stage, was a podium.

The man was about to speak again into his intercom when he was interrupted by a soft voice. "Excuse me, sir, do you know when Professor Grant will arrive?" The man turned to see a young girl, around seventeen years old, staring up at him expectantly with dark brown eyes. She was dressed in an undoubtedly expensive, black gown. Her gown was pretty plain compared to the rest of the attendees, but its one sleeved style showed off her toned arms without restricting her movement. Her straight light brown hair was arranged neatly in a ponytail, decked with flowers. She had slightly crooked teeth when she smiled and a small scar running across her forehead, which she had tried to hide with makeup. On the whole, she looked like a younger, slightly less attractive rich girl in a sea of rich people. She was someone that wouldn't be remembered that night.

"He has already arrived and will be giving his speech in five minutes." the man said stoically. As soon as the girl quietly muttered a "thanks" and walked away, he spoke into the intercom. "Ballroom is all clear. Let the professor in."

A moment later, a deafening silence took over the ballroom as the stately professor took his place at the podium. He was old, long white hair framing his long, gaunt face, but he still walked upright and proud as he entered the ballroom. Instead of wearing fancy attire, the professor opted for a simple, cleanly pressed, lab coat. He was tall, almost a full head taller than the secret service agents that had surrounded him. Clearing his voice, he spoke.

"Hello, my name is Professor Grant. I want to thank every single one of you for being here and allowing me to speak on behalf of people who mean quite a lot to me. Since they were discovered a little less than a year ago, their whole race has been discriminated against and the panic that this has caused has been very… very serious. I am speaking about mutants. Are they really what we judge them to be, which are freaks and demons? Or are they friends of ours, who are trying to help us? I truly believe that they are misunderstood. That they are-"

The professor was interrupted by a loud noise and, a second later, the horrified people watched him collapse, a bullet buried in his temple; dead before he had even reached the ground. One of the ladies present screamed, signaling for the end of the classy dinner and the start of the disorderly panic.

The man with the intercom was at the back of the ballroom when the shot was fired. He immediately ran down one of the corridors, yelling into his wrist "Saw the bullet fired from a vent to the left of the podium. In pursuit of the assassin."

Weaving through the many hallways of the hotel, he saw a flash of cloth turn the corner. "Hey! Stop! FBI!" he shouted, turning the corner. In the middle of the long corridor he saw a sixteen-year-old girl in a black gown, staring back at him with her brown eyes. Her hands and face were covered in dust, no doubt from the vent, and she was carrying a handgun, which pointed straight at the man's chest. "You." The man said, shocked.

The girl smiled, adding an evil glow to her dirty face. "Me." With lightning speed, the man pulled out his own handgun. Two shots were fired and both the man and the girl fell to the ground.

The girl was the first to get up, stemming the blood pouring from her side. She turned and ran from the scene, content with hearing her opponent choking on his own blood. Despite the pain to her side, she smiled. She never missed.

By the time the man was discovered, he was dead and his killer was gone.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, welcome to my first fic. This takes place after everyone finds out that the students of the Xavior Institute are mutants and before Spike's mutation gets extreme. Enjoy.**

1.

Many things had changed at the Xavier Institute after the discovery of the existence of mutants. For one thing, many parents arrived to take their children out of the school, convinced that they could hide their children better than the Institute. The remaining mutants trained hard, constantly preparing for an attack from an angry mob of non-mutants. Their only visitor was Professor Grant, who was attempting to convince the world that mutants, besides their special gifts, weren't very different from non-mutants.

A heavily built man stared blankly at the television. He wore a plain t-shirt and jeans. His hair and sideburns were a dark brown and his hazel eyes darted from the television to the entrance of the room. "Hey, Chuck." He greeted his friend. "Grant's dead. Killed by an assassin."

Professor Charles Xavier sighed and rubbed his tired, brown eyes. "I know, Logan." He moved his wheelchair next to his friend. Side by side, they looked like complete opposites. While Logan had intimidating muscles, Charles was thin, and couldn't move without his wheelchair. Charles was bald while hair covered almost every inch of Logan's body. Logan's eyes were always frowning, whilst Charles' eyes shown with kindness.

They watched the news together for a few minutes, before the professor broke the silence. "Cerebro found a new mutant."

Logan got up and walked towards the stairs. "I'll get the x-men ready."

"There's something strange about this one."

Logan stopped in his tracks. "Really. There's something 'strange' about all of them."

Charles moved his wheelchair closer to Logan. "She has aliases. Many aliases. I couldn't find a name that she used for more than a year or an age. She was at the hotel where Grant was murdered when Cerebro found her. She's a healer. Cerebro states that she is around five and a half feet tall. Brown eyes and light brown hair."

"What else?"

"That's all that I could get."

"That's not much to go on. Were you able to get into her mind?"

The professor rubbed his eyes again. "Very briefly. I felt adrenaline. She was running away from the hotel. And she was wearing a black gown-"

"Girl wearing a black gown should be easy to spot. She was in Bayville?"

Charles nodded.

Logan continued up the stairs. "I'll wake the others."

* * *

><p>"I don't see why we all have to go. I could've jus' stayed with Storm and the professor" Rogue said moodily, rubbing the remainder of sleep from her eyes. She was tall, standing at five feet nine inches, and was curled up in one of the seats of the x-jet. Her pale face lay on her knees. She wore black lipstick and large, black gloves, which she was forced to wear for the better part of her nineteen years of life. Her hair was auburn with a solitary white streak of hair.<p>

"Professor's orders," Logan said grumpily as the x-jet left the mansion. It was a mere fifteen minutes after his talk with the professor and Logan wanted the mission over and done with.

"So we are being sent to find this mutant girl. We don't know her name or age and all we have to go on is that she is running through the streets of Bayville wearing a black gown?" Evan Daniels asked, absently rolling the wheels of his skateboard with his hands. He wore a large white tank top and baggy khaki shorts. His dyed blond hair and piercing brown eyes gave him the look of a typical skater boy.

_"Where are Jean and Scott when you need them?"_ Logan thought grimly as he thought about the two oldest student mutants with whom he had formed a relationship that was close to friendship. They were busy dropping off the last of the students whose parents demanded that they left the institute. Logan hated being stuck driving four moody teenagers around in the x-jet, looking for a new, confused mutant.

"Do we even know where she lives? That might make the mission, like, eight hours shorter." Kitty Pryde voiced from the back of the x-jet. She wore a light pink blouse and comfortable jean capris. Her dark brown hair was done up casually in a ponytail with some strands of hair framing her face. Her large hazel eyes which glanced at her best friend, Kurt, who was absent-mindedly staring out the window of the x-jet. "Are you okay, Kurt? You haven't said anything since we got up."

Her friend slowly turned to meet her gaze. He spoke with a thick German accent. "I dunno. Don't you think this lack of information may be because she doesn't want to be found? …Maybe her mutant powers affect her looks." he added hopefully. Because of his hologram watch, he looked like a normal teenage boy. He wore a red shirt which was worn under an unbuttoned green collared polo shirt and baggy jean pants. Black eyes and hair, which lightly grazed his shoulders, gave him a serious appearance. The grin that usually dominated his face was gone, replaced by a thoughtful frown.

"We'll find out soon enough." Evan said, a wave of excitement coursing through his body as he felt the x-jet land.

"Okay, here's the deal. Everyone is searching for a girl in a black gown. She's about five foot six and her eye and hair color is brown. Keep in touch using the intercom. If you find her do not approach her until I get there. We don't know how dangerous-" Logan was interrupted by the x-jet's radio.

"Wolverine? Come in, Wolverine." A female voice filled the x-jet.

"I'm here, Storm." Logan spoke into the radio.

"You have to hurry and find the girl."

"Why the hurry?" Rogue asked, dejectedly getting up from her chair.

"The brotherhood is after her. And the professor thinks that she's hurt."

Wolverine turned to the four teenagers. "Change of plans. Branch out. Try to find the new mutant and defend her from the brotherhood."

With that, Rogue and Kitty ran into the darkness in opposite directions. Evan jumped on his skateboard and promptly disappeared into the night. Kurt teleported out of the x-jet while Wolverine stayed and took a deep breath, searching for the stench of blood. Instead, a different scent reached his senses.

"Sabertooth."

* * *

><p>Once she was out of the hotel, the girl in the black gown crouched down to hide behind trash bins in a secluded alleyway. Her hand was covered in sticky blood as she ripped the bottom of her gown, preparing to bandage her side. Calmly, as if she did it many times, she ripped the side of her dress to see the wound. There was blood covering her skin, but the wound was missing. Confused, she felt along her torso and belly, searching for the source of the bleeding. There was none. Slowly, the girl stood up, surprised that she didn't feel pain in her side. She walked, thoroughly confused, down the alley. The asphalt lightly stung her feet. She was barefoot, having left her heels in the vent at the hotel after committing the assassination.<p>

Hearing a noise behind her, the girl whipped around, clutching her gun behind her back. "Who's there?" she asked the darkness.

In a flash, the girl found her hand clutching air and a boy appear in front of her, holding up her gun triumphantly. His hair was the palest color she had ever seen, almost white, despite his youthful face. He was tall and thin, turning into a mixture of colors and wind, before reappearing beside her. The girl lunged at him, but at the last moment, he moved with inhuman speed, a mischievous grin on his face. "You want your gun back? Come get it."

Reaching into her dress, the girl pulled out a small pocket knife, which she immediately threw at her opponent. It grazed his face as he moved out of the way before clattering uselessly to the ground. The boy chuckled. "Almost got me there. My name's Pietro. And yes, I am a mutant."

"What do you want?" the girl asked, her expression calm, but she trembled slightly.

"Someone I know wants to have a little talk with you. I am-"

"Leaving." A figure stepped protectively in front of the girl. The girl took a step back in shock. She didn't hear or see anyone enter into the scene. The faint smell of sulfur filled the area. She identified his accent as German.

"Stay out of this x-man. If you know what is good for you." Pietro stated arrogantly.

The girl's protector turned his face, and, for a moment, their eyes met. During that moment, the girl was able to read his expression. He was young; maybe around her age. He had black eyes and dark hair. His expression showed intense excitement and a little fear. His face held a light sheet of sweat which hinted that he was running around for a while before seeing her in her predicament. He whispered one word, before charging full speed towards her tormentor. "Run."

Instead of running away from the fight, the girl ran after her protector, who, grabbed Pietro by the shoulders and disappeared. A loud noise sounded as the two boys disappeared; black smoke and the overpowering smell of sulfur taking their place. The girl's gun slipped from the grasp of Pietro before he disappeared and clattered to the ground. Picking it up, the girl examined the place that both boys disappeared, holding her gun up menacingly, in case they were to reappear in front of her. Her breaths came out in thin pieces of smoke as the night chill knocked her back to reality. The girl was as scared as she was confused. Leaving the alley, she blended in with the night.

* * *

><p>"Any luck, Evan?" Kitty Pryde asked, as her friend skateboarded towards her.<p>

"Well I haven't seen any girls walking around in black gowns if that's what you're asking."

Rolling her eyes in frustration, Kitty spoke into her radio. "Hey guys, I'm with Spike. Anyone find anything?"

They didn't have to wait long before hearing Rogue's voice, "Nothing. I've taken quite a tour of Bayville's alleyways, though."

Immediately afterwards, Wolverine's voice came through the intercom. "Rogue, look around the graveyard. Spike, Shadowcat, you take the school and mall. You have got to find this girl."

"And what about you?" Rogue asked.

"Something's come up."

Sighing, Evan and Kitty headed towards Bayville's public high school, where they used to go to school before they were discovered as mutants. "Nightcrawler? Come in, Nightcrawler." Kitty spoke into her intercom again.

Silence.

"Nightcrawler?... Kurt?... Guys, I think something's happened to Kurt."

Somewhere in Bayville, Wolverine cursed and began running through the streets. Sabertooth's unholy stench clogged up his senses and a familiar intense hatred filled Wolverine. His claws shot out of his hands as he raced through Bayville, searching for his arch-enemy.

Rogue made her way out of the business district towards the cemetery. She was about to turn a corner to go down an alleyway when she heard soft footsteps heading towards her from the alleyway. Taking off her gloves, Rogue grabbed the intruder by the arm. It was a girl dressed in a bloodstained and torn black gown. Knowing that the girl had only fifteen seconds before she blacked out, Rogue spoke hurriedly. Her thick Louisiana accent broke the shocked silence. "Look, I'm gonna let you go, but you have to listen to me-"

"Let. Me. GO!" The girl screamed, struggling, but growing weaker by the second. Whipping out her gun, she placed the muzzle of the gun against her attacker's skin. Unhesitatingly, she pulled the trigger.

The sound of the gun was nothing compared to the sound that came out of Rogue's mouth. She yelled out in pain and collapsed onto the pavement. Following her scream, Evan and Kitty turned onto the street in time to see the girl in black dart back through the alleyway. "I'll get her. Take care of Rogue!" Evan shouted as he skateboarded after the girl.

Kitty stopped in front of her friend. Rogue had tears running continuously down her cheeks and had curled into a fetal position, cradling her arm. Being careful not to touch Rogue's skin, Kitty tried to untangle her friend. "Rogue, calm down. I'm here. Just let me see-" she stopped when she saw Rogue's arm. It was more of a mangled mess than an arm. The bullet had gone straight through Rogue's arm. Powder burns surrounded the wound. The bone in her arm had cracked, and protruded from her arm in a horrific fashion. Holding Rogue up, who had lost consciousness, Kitty spoke into the radio. Tears had begun to fall from her eyes as she fought the urge to vomit. "Wolverine! We need you now! Rogue's down! I repeat, Rogue's down."

* * *

><p>"Wait! Hold up, I don't want to hurt you! I just want to talk!" Evan shouted at the sprinting figure. Thanks to his skateboard, he was quickly gaining ground. The sun had begun to rise over Bayville, and he knew that he needed to catch the new mutant before Bayville's occupants find her.<p>

"Leave me alone!" The girl screamed, taking a shot behind her. Evan shot a spike from his arm, deflecting the bullet. He was just about to reach the girl when the ground shook beneath him, throwing him off his skateboard and into a wall. He saw the girl fall a moment later.

"Well! Look what we have here."

Evan immediately shot up, shooting out spikes from his arm. "Leave her alone, Lance!"

Lance stood proudly as he manipulated rocks to shoot up out of the ground, shielding him from Evan's attack. The girl stood up, trying to point her gun at both mutants. For a while they stood still, in a perfect triangle, waiting for someone to make the first move.

The first move came, but not from anyone in the triangle. The girl saw the same two boys who had earlier disappeared from the alley, reappear at the center of the triangle. They were each caught in a death grip with each other. Taking aim, the girl fired into the tangle of bodies, shooting Pietro in the shoulder. Crying out in pain, he loosened his grip on the mysterious boy. Both were bloodied and bruised from the long fight. "Nightcrawler, get her out of here!" Evan yelled.

Kurt ran towards the girl who still looked at him with an unreadable expression. Suddenly, her expression changed to pure disgust and horror. She swung her gun around, pointing it straight at him, ready to shoot. It had happened so fast, Kurt wasn't sure what had happened until he took a quick glance at his wrist. The hologram watch was missing. Pietro, stemming his wound on his shoulder, triumphantly held up the watch in his hand. "Let's see her listen to you now!" he yelled.

Without his hologram watch, Kurt revealed his true form to the girl. Instead of black hair and eyes, he had dark blue hair and shining golden eyes with furry pointed ears sticking up from his hair. Blue fur covered his body and his hands showed their disfigured nature, having three thick fingers each hand. His most unusual feature was his long spaded tail, which had the strength to both support his own weight as well as break the bones of an opponent.

Kurt grabbed the girl and teleported, but not before one last gunshot rang through the streets of Bayville.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Please review with comments and ideas.**

2.

The first thing he felt after teleporting was a pain in his chest. Kurt moaned as he opened his eyes. He had a massive headache and his vision swam in front of him for a few seconds before it cleared. It was then that he saw himself staring into the muzzle of the girl's gun. Kurt tried to form a cohesive sentence, but only moans and grunts escaped his mouth.

"Why did you take me here, demon?" The girl asked. She was a scary sight. Sweat covered every inch of her exposed skin, her hair messy and tangled, having fallen out of the ponytail, and her eyes looked around her wildly. Her dress was ripped up to her knees and a large hole revealed part of her torso.

"Can't… breath." Kurt managed to get out. He felt a sticky liquid pouring from his chest, close to his right shoulder.

"Why did you take me here?" The girl yelled frantically, grabbing Kurt's shirt and lifting him halfway off the ground. Kurt took a quick painful breath as his wound was lifted off the ground and moaned in pain. The girl dropped him unceremoniously onto the rough floor. Kurt felt pine needles. They were in the middle of a forest. The leaves had begun to change, signaling the start of fall. He couldn't see any sign of civilization.

"Don't know… where we are." Kurt stated hazily, in a whisper. Everything hurt. His vision started clouding up. Surprisingly calm, Kurt waited to lose consciousness.

The girl muttered an expletive, still aiming her gun at the demon, but not pulling the trigger. She reached down and began ripping a section of her skirt. Muttering to herself, she grabbed Kurt's underarms and began to drag him across the forest floor, being careful not to let her bare skin come into contact with his indigo-colored skin. Once, Kurt tried to help out by lifting himself off the ground using his hands. He was quickly dropped and the gun returned to its position in front of his face. "Don't touch me," the girl stated. Eventually, she was able to prop up Kurt's lean frame against a trunk of a tree. Keeping her gun within grabbing range, she began bandaging his wound. Kurt's golden eyes met her dark ones. Obviously scared of him, she took her hands away from him and grabbed her gun. Kurt felt, rather than saw the butt of the gun hit him on the top of his head, knocking him into sweet oblivion.

* * *

><p>"Cerebro is neither picking up Kurt's power nor the girl's." Professor Xavier said sadly, turning away from the massive computer to meet Logan's gaze.<p>

"If that bitch hurt Kurt, I swear I'll kill her!" Kitty said angrily, hands clenched tightly to her sides. "Professor, the girl is dangerous. Just look at what she did to Rogue! We can't allow her to just, like, walk in here-"

"She was scared and confused. You and the brotherhood both were chasing her. We need to get her here before she becomes a threat to herself and others." The professor moved towards the door, seeing a woman standing in the doorway. "Ororo, how is she?"

Ororo, more commonly known as Storm by her students and peers looked at the professor with her tired, grey eyes. She had white hair that fell down to her waist, but was still young at thirty years old. Her eyes lit up for a second, and in the distance, thunder was heard. She was tall, nearly as tall as her nephew, Evan. "I did the best that I could, but I doubt she would ever be able to use that arm again. Evan's looking after her right now." She rubbed her forehead, which was aching with pain from watching Rogue struggle and scream as well as from the stench of blood that covered her body.

"I'm going to find the elf, Chuck." Logan said, brushing past the professor.

"I'm coming with you." Kitty fell in step with Logan.

"Not today, half-pint."

"But I-"

"Not today." Logan left the room, and, a minute later, the three mutants heard a motorcycle leave the mansion.

"One day, he's going to get killed because he followed his instincts. He's too predictable." Storm told the professor crossly as she and Kitty headed towards the infirmary, leaving the professor alone with Cerebro.

"I know."

* * *

><p>It was late afternoon when Kurt was brought back to the world of pain. Slowly opening his eyes, he spotted his companion, sleeping three yards in front of him, her back against a tree trunk and her hand on her gun. Slowly, painfully, Kurt stretched his limbs, unable to stand. At the snap of a twig, the girl shot up, pointing her gun at his chest. Kurt put his disfigured hands in the air. "Gott! Fraulein I will not hurt you."<p>

The girl didn't take her eyes off of him, but reached behind her, pulling out a water bottle filled with discolored water. She rolled it over to him. "Where am I?" She asked, raising her gun. Her voice sounded calmer, but still as desperate as the questions she asked earlier in the day.

Kurt took a sip of the water. Even though it tasted gross, he was able to finish the contents of the bottle. He didn't even stop to wonder where the girl got the bottle of water. "I don't know."

"What do you want from me, demon?" Kurt flinched at the sound of the name.

"You're a mutant… Like me. You have the ability to heal…" Kurt stated, every word hurting his chest. "There's an… institute. Where we can explain."

"I'm not interested. I want you to take me back to Bayville."

"Can't teleport… if I don't know where I am," Kurt lied. The true reason was that he was to injured to teleport.

"You're lying."

Kurt sighed in exasperation, "I'm… not taking you anywhere until you agree to talk with the professor."

The girl crouched beside him, placing the muzzle of her gun against Kurt's neck. "Take me back or I'll kill you."

"You're not going to shoot-" Kurt began, petrified in fear, yet not giving in to her demand.

"Take me back!" The girl screamed, pulling the trigger. Kurt braced himself for death.

Click.

The girl fell onto her back in defeat. From the way she looked, Kurt got the impression that she had never been outsmarted before. Her eyes closed and she threw the useless gun as far away as she could. "If you're going to kill me, just do it now." Her voice cracked, but there were no tears in her eyes. She looked almost peaceful in the way she lay on her back, waiting for the killing blow.

"I'm not going to kill you." Kurt stated. The girl didn't move, still waiting to be killed. He stuck out his disfigured hand, "I'm Kurt."

The girl didn't answer. Kurt was starting to get annoyed with the girl's attitude towards him. "Fine," he said, groaning with pain, Kurt forced himself into an upright position. The girl winced, suddenly feeling vulnerable under his gaze. "Answer one question. Why did you save me?"

The girl got up, facing her companion for the first time. "Save you? No, I kept you alive for one reason: to take me home."

"I can't do that. If you don't come to terms with your mutant powers, you will be a danger to yourself and others."

"Then maybe I should've killed you."

Kurt hissed in anger. There were very few people who could get him angry, and this mystery girl was topping his list. He turned away from her and walked away. Every step caused him a lot of pain, but the further he got from the girl the less angry he became. She was confused. He knew that; maybe even a little bit scared, though she tried not to show it. Was he really going to leave her alone in the woods? Probably not, but for both of their sanity, he knew he had to leave.

Meanwhile the girl sat down, breathing a long sigh of relief. She sat for a moment in her once-beautiful gown, which was now reduced to rags. Her feet were itchy and sore, and she was covered in dirt. Curling up into a fetal position, she tried to protect her skin from the oncoming night chill as she fell asleep.

It was an hour later when Kurt returned to the small clearing. He spotted the mysterious girl curled up in a tight ball right where he left her. Despite her unconscious state, she was shivering uncontrollably, her gown now reaching down to her thigh. In sleep, the girl had an innocent and almost peaceful look on her face. Taking a few steps forward, Kurt leaned against a tree, examining her. The girl's legs were muscular, but her arms were skinny and slender. Her straight, dark hair flittered as a gentle breeze ran through it, and her eyes were a deep, dark brown. It was then that Kurt realized the girl was very much awake and staring right back at him.

"Um… hello," Kurt said, awkwardly.

"Can I help you?" The girl's arms were clasped tightly around her bare shoulders, trying to block out the September chill. The chill that Kurt relished.

Kurt, not breaking eye contact with the girl, crouched beside the girl. "I could keep you warm-"

"Don't touch me!" The girl commanded, hitting his wound with her fist. Pain spread through Kurt's body and tears sprung up in his eyes, but he grabbed her outstretched arm and pulled her to him.

The girl choked out a strangled "No," trying to keep Kurt away. He could feel her heartbeat racing against his chest. Her skin felt like ice. "I swear, I'm not going to hurt you," Kurt whispered, tired of arguing with the girl.

The girl, though still tense, didn't push him away. She showed no emotion as Kurt's powerful arms tightened their grip around her small body.

She was freezing and shivering uncontrollably into his skin. Kurt's arms reached all the way around her and held her close to his warm fur. The girl's arms lay limp by her sides, neither acknowledging nor denying his gesture, but she buried her head into his shoulder, making him a virtual shield from the piercing wind around her.

"Ravyn." Her voice, torn from yelling and from the cold, sounded parched and coarse. "My name… It's Ravyn."

She was lying to him. Somehow, Kurt could tell that she would not give away her true identity so easily.

They stayed in their positions for a few more moments before Ravyn suddenly sat up straight and pushed Kurt away from her. "Did you hear that?" She put her ear to the ground. "Someone's coming."

Grabbing her arm, Kurt teleported. He reappeared fifteen feet away from the clearing, clutching his wound in pain. It felt as though his wound had caught on fire when he teleported. Kurt saw Ravyn fall from vertigo, because of the sudden teleportation. "I'll catch up. Run!" Kurt grunted out.

Ravyn took a quick glance behind her, before her gaze returned to Kurt, as if debating on whether or not she should leave him. Exclaiming an expletive, she grabbed Kurt's arm and hoisted it around her neck. "Let's go!"

"What are you doing? Get out of here!"

"What does it look like? I'm not leaving you." Ravyn grunted out. Kurt was heavy, and she knew that if their stalker found them, she would be forced to defend Kurt.

It took a while for Kurt to remember her name even though she told it to him only a few moments ago. "…Ravyn. Listen to me." They both collapsed to the ground. Kurt grabbed her face roughly and turned it to meet his eyes. She was scared of him; he could see it in her eyes. "I need you to find my friends. They're on their way. I'll be fine."

Ravyn looked as if she wanted to argue, but she noiselessly ran off. Kurt turned to face the intruder. The intruder never came.

Ravyn ran as fast as her aching feet would allow, dodging overhanging tree branches and avoiding the noisy leaves on the ground. The cold stung at her body, and she stopped behind a tree to catch her breath. Goosebumps rose on her arm from fear as well as from the cold. She no longer had her gun by her side to protect her. She strained her ears, but heard nothing. Cautiously, she took a couple of steps away from the tree.

Suddenly, Ravyn was thrown back against the tree. She heard a sickening crack before collapsing in a heap. Struggling for breath, she lashed out in front of her, searching for her attacker.

Grabbing her by the neck, her attacker pinned her to the tree. Her feet, which were high above the ground, kicked frantically, trying in vain to find a sturdy footing. Ravyn felt rancid breath whip her face as her attacker leaned in, almost touching his lips to hers. "Where's your friend?"

Ravyn gasped, trying to form a complete sentence in her mind as she felt claws pressing against her neck. Her attacker was slowly and painfully crushing her windpipe. With all the strength she pressed her legs against her attacker's stomach, pushing him away from her for a second. In that second, her lungs filled with air. Stars floated across her vision.

She felt herself being thrown onto the ground and felt her attacker's claws slash through her chest… once… twice. The attacker leaned close to her, and Ravyn was able to see his face. He had long blonde hair reaching down to his shoulders. He was wearing a lot of fur and had a long menacing cape around him, he had inhumanly long claws protruding from the tips of his fingers. "I'll find him myself," he said, before slitting her neck. Ravyn cried out in pain, coughing up blood. Her attacker chuckled over her, then disappeared into the night.

Ravyn's hand's flew up, one to her neck, and one to her chest, trying to stem the blood. Her body was wracked with siezures as she struggled for one last breath. The pain was unbearable. In a moment, Ravyn knew she was going to die. Removing her hands from her body, she lay on the ground, drowning in her own blood. She felt an unbelievable calm rush over her as she waited for death to take her.

That was when she felt a strange tingling in her chest and neck. Her labored breathing returned to normal, even breaths. Slowly, her hand reached up to touch her neck. She felt blood, but the wound wasn't there. Feeling stronger and braver, she sat up and examined her chest. It was covered in blood, but the slashes were gone. She got up and walked about, nonchalantly fixing her dislocated shoulder by popping it back into place. Her dress barely stayed on her body because of the rips and tears it had received. Shaking her head to clear the many questions that were building up in her mind, she ran back into the night. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew that she had to find her companion.

* * *

><p>"Professor! Professor! We found them!" Jean Grey ran through the halls of the Xavier institute. Shortly after Wolverine left, she and her boyfriend, Scott Summers returned from their mission. Her long red hair spread out behind her as she sprinted through the mansion. Jean Grey had the body figure of an athlete: strong arms, toned legs, and tight stomach. Before the world found out that she was a mutant, she was the star player of Bayville's high school soccer team. She found the professor in his office, talking to Scott. Her green eyes flashed excitedly as she confronted the two. "Cerebro caught Nightcrawler using his powers. And the girl… She also used her powers. They're in the mountains… twenty miles from here." She began to walk alongside the professor and her boyfriend, who were heading for the mansion's foyer.<p>

"Why the hell would Nightcrawler teleport there?" Scott Summers asked. He looked down at the professor, who had treated him as a son ever since he had arrived at the school when he was a skinny boy of eleven. Now nineteen, Scott had grown to be a very muscular and dedicated leader. Often times, he could stop a fight by flashing his eyes, partly hidden by his long unkempt brown hair.

Perhaps his most prevalent feature was his sunglasses, which never left his face. No one, except for the professor and Jean knew what color Scott's eyes were, but, through the sunglasses, his eyes were a tinted red.

"I don't think Kurt had control of where he was teleporting. We need to get to them fast. If the girl is using her power, they are in danger," the professor said, pressing a nearby button on the wall of the foyer. "Attention, X-men. We have located Kurt and the girl. Prepare to leave in five minutes." Professor Xavier's voice reverberated inside the mansion, alerting all its inhabitants.

"Danger? Why?" Scott asked Jean as the professor wheeled away from them.

"She's a healer. If she is using her power, it must mean that she was hurt."

Kitty phased through the ceiling and landed neatly in front of the duo. Her eyes burned with an anxious fire. "Let's find elf."

* * *

><p>Kurt couldn't breathe. He had been teleporting for two minutes now. Teleporting, then reappearing ten feet away, groaning in pain, resting for a couple of seconds before repeating the process. He didn't know what was chasing him and Ravyn, but he knew that he would be spelling death for himself if he were to stop teleporting.<p>

Kurt's wheezed, soon finding himself on the ground, gasping for air. He wasn't sure he would survive teleporting again, so he lay on the ground, waiting for his vision to clear. "Well, well well. Look what the cat dragged in." Kurt stumbled upright, staring his intruder straight in the eye. He smelled blood and animal fur.

"Sabertooth."

"Missing someone? A girl, maybe?" Sabertooth chuckled to himself.

"Where is she?"

Sabertooth showed him his fingers, licking the blood off one nail. "Oh don't worry. I took good care of her."

Kurt's eyes visibly widened as he thought of what Sabertooth did to Ravyn. He flew at Sabertooth with a burst of inhuman strength, Kurt was able to bring his opponent to the ground. Sabertooth growled menacingly before kicking the x-man's wounded shoulder. Kurt felt himself being lifted up before he was flung through a bramble of trees. He cried out in pain as he hit rock, instead of mossy ground. Looking around, he saw the edge of a cliff inches behind him. Sabertooth's nails grew as he approached the helpless figure. "One less x-man to deal with- AHH!" Sabertooth cried out as he fell forward, clutching his back and revealing Ravyn.

She was covered in sweat and blood. Taking advantage of Sabertooth's position, she kicked his head, knocking him out. Kurt wasn't sure what she had did to him, but from seeing the way Sabertooth writhed on the ground, he could tell it was something very painful . Stepping over the still body of Sabertooth, Ravyn stumbled to Kurt, obviously dizzy from the blood loss. "Hell...ter?" She gasped out. Kurt couldn't tell what she was trying to tell him.

It was then that three things happened almost simultaneously. First, Kurt saw a blur as Sabertooth got up and headed towards the both of them, his nails drawn to their full extent. Grabbing Ravyn by the shoulders, he shoved her behind him, taking the injury that should have been hers. He heard her scream as she slipped off the side of the cliff, clawing the edge. The second thing that happened was that Sabertooth was pulled off Kurt by Logan, whose eyes were nearly red with rage. Logan stuck both of his adamanthium claws into Sabertooth's back before throwing him back through the brambles. His muscles bulging with adrenaline, he followed Sabertooth. The third event was the arrival of the x-jet. Kurt felt a strong light on his back as he heard Evan yell "I've got him."

Without even knowing what he was doing, Kurt felt himself falling, grasping Ravyn's thin body. He didn't know that he had teleported to catch her falling body nor that he had teleported again into the inside of the x-jet until he heard Kitty's high pitched scream.

Ravyn had closed her eyes when she slipped off the edge of the mountain. She had just about given up when she felt fur around her. She heard a loud noise, as if someone had popped a balloon. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in somesort of aircraft, staring back into the eyes of Jean Grey, Scott Summers, Evan Daniels, Kitty Pryde, and Professor Xavier.

Kitty's attention was immediately captured by Nightcrawler's appearance. He, like the girl, was covered in dirt and grime, but his wounds were more numerous and ugly. His eye was swollen shut and he had a blood soaked shoulder which was messily wrapped in some kind of black material. He had numerous scratches to his chest and legs, which were bleeding profusely. As soon as he appeared in the jet, he had cried out in pain, clutching his shoulder. He fell lifeless to theground, his head landing on the floor of the x-jet with a dull crash.

Kitty ran towards her best friend, tears forming in her big eyes, when a hand quickly grasped her arm and twisted it behind her back. Quickly phasing out of it, Kitty saw the girl clumsily stand defensively over Kurt. Kitty was about to fight the girl when Evan grabbed her around her waist and pulled her away from the situation. "Remember what she did to Rogue," he whispered.

Jean took only a second to address the situation. "We are his friends. If I don't help him, he dies. You have to trust me." She approached the unscathed girl, with her hands spread out in front of her in a calming fashion. The girl knocked her arms out of the way before pressing two precise fingers to the center of Jean's chest, which made Jean collapse into a ball, gasping for air. Her boyfriend moved his hands to his sunglasses whilst Evan and Kitty stood in shock at the situation.

The professor calmly motioned to Scott to stay away from the girl as he placed his index fingers on his temple. The girl suddenly collapsed beside Jean, holding her head with her hands. She started mouthing words to herself as she fell to her hands and knees. The last thing she did before losing consciousness was that she lifted herself off the ground and looked the professor in the eye, her eyes filled with hatred.

Jean had recovered from her temporary injury when the girl fell and immediately, with Kitty's help, went to dress Nightcrawler's wounds. Scott put a sturdy hand on the professor's shoulder, who looked like he was going to faint.

"Evan, take the controls. Get us back to the mansion," Scott commanded. Positioning himself in front of the older man in the wheelchair, Scott asked in a low voice, "What happened with her?"

The professor slowly met Scott's gaze. "She was able to resist me… she almost removed me completely from her mind… she was trained to do so." His gaze returned to the girl, who lay forgotten and motionless on the floor. Scott left the professor, but could have sworn he heard him muttering, "You're very special. What is your story?"


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hiya! Here's the third chapter! please Review and share your ideas on this story.**

**Disclaimer: So... I was told to write one of these. I do not own X-men: Evo. I am not that awesome.**

3.

White. That was the first thing that Ravyn saw when she opened her eyes. She was pretty sure she was dead. The last thing that she remembered feeling was a crushing sensation to her brain and a massive headache. She attempted to sit up, but felt something restrain her arms and legs. Panicked, she glanced around at her surroundings. A large, white curtain surrounded her bed on three sides, but granted a view to her right. There was a spotless white desk to her right, piled with paper, bandages, and drugs. Looking down, Ravyn found that she had been changed out of her black gown and was placed in an oversized t-shirt and baggy sweatpants. She was lying on a hospital bed, with her hands and feet secured by many strong plastic straps.

Ravyn struggled against the straps, but could barely make a fist, much less pull the straps off her. It was then that two figures entered the privacy of her "room". One was a handicapped middle-aged man in a wheel chair and the other was a middle-aged woman with beautiful, long, white hair. "How are you doing, Ravyn?" The man in the wheelchair asked.

Ravyn? The girl knew that name, but it wasn't hers. A hazy memory surfaced of her telling someone that name. The girl kept quiet, remembering her training. The man looked very familiar, as if she saw him sometime recently, but her mind felt cloudy and small.

The old man continued. "My name is Charles Xavier. You're safe now. You are at the Xavier Institute for Talented Youth." As he spoke, the woman began to take off the straps that held her arms and feet in place. "This," the professor added, "Is my assistant, Ororo."

His assistant had already freed Ravyn's arms and stopped to shake her hand. "Please, call me Storm," she said kindly.

"What do you want with me? How did I get here?" Ravyn asked, surprised at her own voice. It was dry and cracked, as if she hadn't drank water for days.

"You don't remember anything that happened last night." It was a statement; not a question.

Last night. Ravyn forced her brain to function as it screamed for rest. Gripping her head, she focused on the one cloudy memory she had remembered, and the night reconstructed in her mind. Ravyn gasped as she remembered all that had happened to her, not only last night, but everything that happened two nights before. "You." She jumped out of the hospital bed. Her head spun as she hazily stared at the two adults in her room.

"Calm down, Ravyn. Take a seat. We won't hurt you," Storm said calmly. The kind lady placed a gentle arm around Ravyn's shoulders and sat her back down on her bed.

"I apologize for what I did to you last night. I-" the Professor began.

"Mutant. You're a mutant," Ravyn gasped out, her head spinning.

"We all are. Even you," the lady said. Giving a nod to the professor, she left the "room".

The Professor wheeled himself closer to the hospital bed, "I talked with Kurt earlier. You remember Kurt-"

"The demon."

The Professor winced, knowing that Kurt hated being called that name. "Yes. We were able to talk briefly. He told me everything that happened. You were very brave last night."

"What do you want from me?" Ravyn asked, meeting the Professor's gaze.

"I know, Ravyn. I know what you did to Professor Grant."

Ravyn's training had prepared her for interrogations, but this was the first time she had been caught. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"You need to do better than that if you want to trick a mind reader."

Ravyn was silent.

"Ravyn, I am here to help you. Help you to master and control your unique abilities, but in order to do that, you need to trust me."

Everything about the man told Ravyn that he was telling the truth. His emotions were sincere and his gestures signaled kindness and trust. Taking a leap of faith, Ravyn spoke. "I was paid five thousand dollars to kill that Professor."

"You're an assassin."

The girl nodded. "I trained for five years before being given my first mission… I-I'm not proud of it, but it's the only way I could keep my family alive."

"How old are you?"

"I'll be seventeen in a month."

The professor sighed. "How many people have you killed?"

Ravyn was silent. How many people _had _she killed? She couldn't remember. She didn't want to remember.

"You wanted me, professor?" Jean Grey peeked her head through the curtains.

"Yes. Will you please take Ravyn to her room?"

Jean nodded offering her hand to Ravyn. "Hi, I'm Jean."

Ravyn nodded, but didn't touch her extended hand. Clearing her throat awkwardly, Jean led Ravyn out of the infirmary.

On the way out of the infirmary, Ravyn saw her demon companion. To say he looked more dead than alive was an understatement. His entire chest and eyes were covered in bandages. His tail moved lazily along the floor, a signal to everyone that he was awake. He was hooked up to a couple of machines that beeped and recorded lines every time he took a labored breath.

Beside him was a girl who had her entire arm in a cast. She looked very familiar to Ravyn. There were a couple of drugs and painkillers on a small table beside her.

Once out of the infirmary, Ravyn took in her surroundings while keeping up with Jean's long strides. Jean confidently navigated her way through the mansion's many corridors, leaving Ravyn to stand aghast at the splendor of the mansion. It was clean, almost immaculate, and every hall looked the same, but, at the same time, each had its own theme, because of the decoration's placement. The winding stairs was magnificent, fit for a mansion. Jean came to a stop by a door, close to the stairs. "This will be your room. If you have any questions, just come find me," Jean said, before speedily walking away.

Ravyn left the door open as she took in her new room. A large, full-sized bed greeted her, decked with fancy white comforters and sheets. Folded neatly on the top of her bed were a series of three towels. Across from her bed were a wooden dresser, with a built in shelf on top, and a desk. Through the lace curtains of the window was a balcony, which overlooked the front yard of the mansion.

"Beautiful, isn't it."

Ravyn's head snapped around to see another teenage girl leaning against the frame of the open door. "Can I help you?"

The teenage girl ignored Ravyn's question. "So you're staying."

"I guess." Both were silent, the teenage girl eying the assassin angrily, "Is there a problem?"

"Look, you have just, like, majorly injured two of my closest friends. If you do anything… Anything suspicious, I swear to god, I will seriously hurt you," the teenage girl whispered, bringing her face close to Ravyn's.

Ravyn smirked, but said nothing, as the teenage girl headed out of the room. "My name's Kitty. Welcome to the institute."

Ravyn haughtily walked towards the door and slammed it at Kitty's retreating figure.

Turning away from the door, Ravyn's eyes laid on a full-bodied mirror next to her dresser. She stood in front of it, taking in her appearance. She was filthy. The mutants may have given her clean clothing, but they did nothing about her grimy skin or tangled hair. Her skin had turned a darkened mud-brown color. Colored leaves and twigs adorned her tangled hair. Ravyn leaned in towards the mirror, examining her face more closely. The long scar that had once graced her forehead was missing, as well as the acne that usually inhabited her temple and chin. Her face didn't have signs of any blemishes. Opening her mouth, she discovered that her teeth had magically straightened themselves. Her face looked perfect, and Ravyn couldn't recognize herself. Grabbing towels off the bed, Ravyn left her room in search of a shower.

Jean had said to find her if she had any questions, and Ravyn wished she had asked where she could find the red-head. Picking a direction, Ravyn wandered down corridor after corridor. Finally she arrived at the stairs. She had neither seen nor heard any of the other mutants that were said to live in the mansion, and it made her nervous. Climbing down the stairs, Ravyn entered into the foyer of the mansion. A large chandelier hung above the middle of the grand room. Ravyn was standing directly underneath it when she was interrupted by the opening of the front door.

Logan was a mess. He had fought Sabertooth for the whole night before his enemy gave him the slip. His clothes were torn in numerous places and he refused to retract his adamanthium claws back into his hands. He entered the mansion, hoping to find Charles Xavier waiting to update him on the new mutant, but found himself staring into the new mutant's unblinking eyes. Her knuckles turned suddenly white, as her hands turned into fists around her towels. Grunting a greeting, he brushed past her moodily. "Bathroom's on the second floor, second door to your right." he yelled behind him, as an afterthought.

After spending two hours in the bathroom, scrubbing the dirt off her skin and untangling her hair, Ravyn returned to her room. She heard voices as she crossed the hall, signaling the return of the mutants. She didn't have to wait long before she heard a knock on her door. Opening it, she found two very sweaty boys, examining her. "Lost?"

One of them, a tall, blonde, African American boy who carried a skateboard, laughed. "Sorry, just came to introduce ourselves. I'm Evan, but you could call me Spike, and this-"

"I'm Scott Summers." He was taller than Spike, and wore ruby colored sunglasses. "You're Ravyn… right?"

"I guess."

"That's… not your real name?" Scott asked.

"No."

"Oh." Scott was speechless, and, since the girl didn't seem to want to talk about her name, he turned to his friend, who started speaking immediately.

"We just want to welcome you to the x-men, that's all." Spike said, turning to leave.

"Wait," the boys seemed nice and normal, and Ravyn was bored out of her mind. "Um… If you guys want to come in…"

The boys stared at her, not sure of what her invitation meant. "I can't. I have this thing, but Evan would love to stay." Scott pushed Evan towards the girl before quickly leaving the situation.

"Um… yeah, I'd love to stay… and talk," Evan entered Ravyn's room and took a seat on her bed while she sat across from him, on her desk.

Ravyn wasn't used to entertaining people. The closest people she had to friends were her fellow assassins and they would usually just sit around talking about missions and sharing stories on how they killed their last victim. Clearing her throat, Ravyn started the conversation. "Show me your power."

Evan was shocked by how blunt and serious she was when she spoke. "Well… I can shoot spikes out of my body as well as shield my… my chest by allowing bone plates-"

Ravyn had an idea. "Shoot me."

"What?"

The girl sighed, sighed, exasperated. "I want proof that I am a mutant. So, shoot me."

"You're insane."

"If I am, will you do it?"

The ridiculousness of the whole situation made Evan actually smile. He stopped to think for a moment. "So, you want to prove that you can heal your own wounds? Give me your hand." Ravyn walked towards him, her hand stretched out in front of her. A spike grew out from Evan's hand. Gently, he drew a long line across her palm with his spike, enough to tear skin, but not enough to make it bleed. Both of them leaned in as they examined the shallow cut. Ravyn's mouth twitched as she felt the cut tingle and watched her skin close up.

"Well, what do you know? You are a mutant after all," Evan said.

"Great," Ravyn leaned against the desk in resignation. She swore and rubbed her face. She had hoped against hope that there was a natural explanation to why she didn't get hurt in the woods. "You can go now."

Evan smiled, but didn't move. "Alright, I did something for you so now you get to do something for me."

Ravyn looked at the boy suspiciously.

"Nothing like that," Evan said, "You're going to tell me about the assassin school you went to."

Ravyn smirked. She would humor him for a minute or two before kicking him out of her room.

They talked for an hour.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is one of those chapters that looked better juggling around in my head. It is also ridiculously short. Just bear with me... it's just one of those days. Remember to Review!**

**Disclaimer: So... I was told to write one of these. I do not own X-men: Evo. I am not that awesome.**

4.

It was the first night Ravyn spent in the mansion, and she couldn't get to sleep. Evan had refreshed her memory on what had happened in the last few nights. She listened silently as he described the wound she had inflicted on another mutant girl named Rogue and he stared in shock as she vaguely described her life as an assassin.

Ravyn checked the clock beside her bed. It was three o'clock in the morning. Rolling out of bed, Ravyn stealthily crept out of her room and down the stairs, into the foyer. She then stared at the front door. If she made a run for it, Ravyn knew that she would be able to escape. She touched the door, weighing the options in her head. If she left, she would have to the life of an assassin, but if she stayed, she could learn more about her special power. She gripped the handle of the door tightly. Her family needed money. Being an assassin was the only job that she was good at and that paid enough for them to survive. On the other hand, for the first time in her life, she felt safe. Ravyn stepped away from the door. Her family had enough money to last them for a month without her help. She needed to work on gaining the trust of the x-men.

Retracing the steps that she took earlier, Ravyn found herself silently slipping through the doorway to the infirmary. Nothing had changed since she had left. The drugs on the table beside the girl were the same, and the machines around the demon beeped out their familiar beat. The demon's tail lay relaxed and unmoving on the floor.

Ravyn made her way to the bedside of the girl. She knew that she could heal herself. Evan had proved that to her, and, ever since their experiment, Ravyn wondered if she could heal other people. Her hand hovered over the pale face of the girl. She took a deep breath, before lightly touching the girl's skin.

Nothing happened, until Ravyn's mind concentrated on Rogue's wounded arm. Rogue's eyes snapped open, seeing the assassin standing over her. "What th' hell are ya doing?" she screamed, gripping her head. Ravyn's strength and memories filled Rogue's body and mind.

Ravyn felt an intense pain in her arm. Releasing Rogue, she fell to the ground, cradling her arm. The pain was unbearable. Tears filled her eyes as Ravyn willed herself not to look at her new injury. Her brain worked at a breakneck speed. Painkillers. She needed painkillers. Ravyn grabbed a random container and poured it all out into her hand. Before she knew what she was doing, she had stuffed the contents into her throat. Her brain yelled at her to stop, but her body seemed to have a mind of its own, swallowing the pills.

Kurt was abruptly roused from a deep sleep by his stepsister's shouts for help. His eyes shot open and he sat upright, ignoring the pain in his torso. Rogue was rolling out of bed, ripping off the bandage that was keeping her arm together, and stumbling towards a motionless figure on the ground between their beds.

Ravyn. Her eyes were glazed over and emotionless by the time Rogue made it to her. The partly-healed wound in Ravyn's arm had stopped healing. "Kurt… someone, help!" Rogue yelled, pressing her ear to the girl's chest.

Adrenaline pumped through Kurt's body as he ignored he pain his wounds emitted, falling to his knees beside Rogue. The machines connected to his body sounded an alarm as they got detached from their patient

"What happened?" Kurt asked, trying to remain calm. The girl's helpless, glazed eyes met his.

"She… She swallowed p-pills," Rogue gasped out, wincing as one of Ravyn's memories filled her brain.

Quickly, Kurt jammed his finger down her throat. The effect was instantaneous. Ravyn doubled over, vomiting the pills out. Her hand formed into a fist, grabbling ahold of Kurt's fur. Tears ran freely down her face as she emptied her stomach and finished healing herself.

Kitty was the first person to enter the infirmary, phasing through the ceiling, closely followed by Logan, who barged through the door. They both took in the scene in front of them. Rogue and Kurt were side by side on the floor. Bandages were loosely coiled around Rogue's arm, which was perfectly healed. Kurt held the heaving girl. Perspiration covered her, strands of hair sticking to her face. Her hand still tightly clung to Kurt's fur and her eyes were shut tight.

Logan watched as Kurt, regardless of the numerous wounds he carried on his body, lifted the girl off the ground, and placed her on his bed, before taking a seat on Rogue's bed. Rogue sat on the floor with shock.

By this time, the rest of the x-men had entered the room. Ororo was the first one to move. Stepping over the vomit, she dutifully made it to Ravyn's side, and began to take her pulse.

"Kurt, man, are you alright?" Evan put a hand on Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt grit his teeth in pain. He felt some of his cuts reopening. He turned to Evan. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Five minutes later, Logan, Kurt, Rogue joined Professor Xavier in his study. The rest of the x-men were banished from the infirmary by Storm, who remained behind to clean the mess. After Rogue had finished relating the story, the Professor spoke.

"Rogue, were you able to get any of her memories when she touched you?"

Rogue swallowed, nervously. "She has a family."

"Where?" Logan asked. Everyone in the room looked at him. "If she has a family, they deserve to know that she's safe."

"I-I don't know. She… I think she has two children."

"That's impossible, she's only sixteen," Kurt said, shocked.

"I don't know! I just saw her with two children, living in a house… I didn't see any parents so-"

"There is no way they could be hers." Kurt interrupted.

"They aren't," everyone's head turned to see Ravyn, leaning heavily against the doorframe. She was considerably skinnier and clung to the doorframe.

"Who are they?" Rogue asked.

"My siblings." A small chuckle left Ravyn's lips, "I may as well be their mother. Our mother left us years ago."

"How old are they?" Professor Xavior asked, motioning for her to take a seat. She didn't move.

"Patrick is four. Ravyn is three."

"The real 'Ravyn'," Logan murmured. Aloud, he said, "Look, kid, we want to help you, but you better start telling the truth."

"Can I talk to the Professor? Alone?" Ravyn didn't wait for an answer. Leaning on whatever furniture was the closest to her, she took a seat beside the Professor, completely ignoring the others in the room. At the Professor's nod, Rogue helped Kurt back to the infirmary. Logan took one last glare at the girl before reluctantly leaving the study.

"Well?"

"If I become and x-man, I will be protected. Right?"

"If you become an x-man, you will join our family. So yes, we will protect you as long as you do the same to yourself as well as to the people around you."

"I didn't try to kill myself," Ravyn said through gritted teeth.

"You recklessly endangered yourself as well as Rogue and Kurt. It is not safe for you to use the people around you as experiments to test your mutant abilities."

"I saved one of your x-men! You should be thanking me."

The Professor sighed and remained quiet.

After a minute of silence, Ravyn mumbled. "Will the x-men be able to protect my siblings?"

"Where are they?"

"With my aunt. I send them money-"

"-Which you gain from killing people."

Ravyn leaned over the professor's desk, staring at him with wild eyes. "I would do anything to keep them alive… and hidden. Wouldn't you do the same for your family?"

The mutants at the institute were Charles Xavier's family. And he knew he would do anything to keep them safe. "I will see to it that they get enough money to be taken care of," Professor Xavier said.

"Thank you." Seeing that there wasn't anything else to say to the Professor, Ravyn turned away from him and slowly walked to the doors.

The Professor raised his voice to the retreating girl. "I have one more question for you. What is your real name?"

The girl stopped and turned back to the Professor, smirking. "Ravyn." She left the professor in his office.

Ravyn headed back to her room. Waiting for her outside her door was Kitty. "Hey," Kitty greeted. Ravyn brushed past her.

"Look, I just wanted to say that… I'm so sorry about what I said earlier. I, like, didn't think you'd take it seriously."

Ravyn turned to face Kitty, her eyes flashing dangerously. She was tired, and didn't need anyone else bringing up her 'attempted suicide'. "Don't flatter yourself." She slammed the door in Kitty's face.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here is the fifth chaper. Enjoy. I'm seriously thinking about changing the rating of this story to M for now for language. I'll probably change the rating for the next chapter. Sorry for the short-ish chapters. I'm working on it, believe me. Remember to Review!**

**Disclaimer: So... I was told to write one of these. I do not own X-men: Evo. I am not that awesome.**

5.

"It's nice to see you up and about," Jean said, patting Rogue on the back. It was a couple of hours after the 'incident' and Jean was glad she wasn't the only one who didn't sleep well. She had just walked into the kitchen to find Rogue, sipping coffee from a large mug.

Rogue was silent, caught up in her own thoughts. She rubbed her cured arm, curiously.

Jean spoke again. "Have you seen Kurt?"

"I was just talking to him. A couple of his wounds reopened, and it will take him longer to heal… but he doesn't regret anything."

"Of course he won't. He's Kurt. He would risk his life to save anyone."

Rogue smiled, wryly. "That's his weakness."

At that moment, Ravyn entered. Avoiding all eye contact, she headed to the refrigerater. Scanning its contents, she pulled out a beer from Logan's stash. Rogue suddenly became very interested with the shape of her feet. Ravyn was about to uncap the beer, when Jean grabbed it from her hands. "We have rules around here… Ravyn. And rule number one is that no one touches Wolverine's beer."

"Why? Because it's illegal?" Ravyn asked haughtily, rolling her eyes.

"No. Because he will kill you."

Ravyn contented herself to a cup of coffee. As she made to leave the room, Jean spoke. "Do you want to go shopping, Ravyn? You cannot keep wearing that same outfit forever. Kitty and I could help you find-"

While Jean was talking, Ravyn looked down at herself. She was still wearing the same baggy sweatpants and t-shirt she wore when she first arrived at the mansion. They were crinkled and stained with sweat and vomit. "I have clothes," she said bluntly, as if she was insulted.

"Fine. Where?"

"I have a place. I could go get them. I'll be back tonight."

Before Ravyn could leave the room, Jean grabbed her arm. "No, I'll go with you. Just wait for me to get ready." Ravyn looked unconcerned, but Jean saw her swallow nervously.

* * *

><p>Scott didn't know what he was getting himself into until Jean and Ravyn got into his car. Five minutes ago, Jean had barged into his room and told him to meet her in front of the mansion with his car. He gave his girlfriend a confused glance.<p>

_"We're going to her apartment. Drive." _Jean's voice reverberated in his mind.

"Okay… um…" Scott began, as he looked back at the girl currently occupying his back seat. He didn't know what to call her. He didn't think that 'teenage assassin' or 'suicide girl' was a good idea.

"Ravyn." The girl choked out her fake name, which she had begun to hate.

"Ravyn. So, where am I going?"

"Picketsville."

Scott knew exactly where she was talking about. When he was still in Bayville High School, he heard his peers talk about the town with a sense of dread. The crime rates were the highest in the county and possibly the state. Most of the stoners in Bayville High did their business in Picketsville and every week there seemed to be a new story in the news about a theft, murder, or rape that had taken place in the tiny town. Scott sighed as he put the car in gear and left the mansion.

For the most part, the twenty minute car ride to Picketsville was silent. Ravyn occasionally would speak, but only to tell Scott when to turn and when to roll up the windows and lock the car doors. Finally she led him to a stop at an apartment complex.

It looked ugly. Small, compact, brick buildings lined up in perfect rows. The houses were almost identical, but each had their own, special, disrepairs. A solitary tree stood in front of each apartment. Outside one of the shacks, a group of five boys sat on the steps, obviously smoking marijuana. Outside another brick building, a skinny, teenage mother clutched her crying baby to her.

"You can stay in the car. I'll be back in ten minutes. " Ravyn opened her car door.

"No," Jean said, immediately, "You're not going alone."

Ravyn smirked. "I've lived here-alone- since I was 14. I think I can take care of myself."

"You'll need help to carry your bags." Scott said as he and Jean got out of the car, blocking her way.

Ravyn stepped towards them. "There is a security camera monitoring my apartment. If they see you enter my apartment with me, believe me, all hell will break loose."

Scott wasn't convinced. "They?"

"Security. They work with the assassin network…"

Scot still eyed Ravyn suspiciously. "Fine. But if you're not back in ten minutes, we're going after you."

Walking past the couple, Ravyn headed to the first apartment in the row. It was the house in front of which the boys were loitering.

"Awwww damn! Look who's back!" One of the boys yelled obnoxiously. He grinned at Ravyn, showing off his missing teeth.

"Did you miss us, Elle?" One of the other boys snuck up behind her, grinding his hips into her back.

Disgusted, Ravyn stepped away from the speaker and over one of the boys, who had passed out on her porch. Before entering her apartment, she took a look back at Scott and Jean. They were both leaning against the hood of the car, Scott having a protective grip around Jean's waist. His other hand was balled up into a tight fist.

Ravyn's apartment was tiny; it was only one room. A small, fold-away bed was stuffed behind the door. Beside the bed was a small dresser. In one corner there was a pantry, filled with non-perishable canned food. A small table and beat down chair filled the space beside the pantry. On the side opposite her bed, was a small window, the only light source of the room.

As soon as she stepped into her apartment, Ravyn knew that someone else had been in it since she had left. Her one, small chair, wasn't in its normal position: pushed in close to the table. The dust along her window frame was disturbed and she caught the faint smell of cologne or deodorant in the air.

She wasn't too concerned about the intruder. She didn't keep anything too valuable in plain sight anyways. Purposefully, Ravyn took a duffel bag from underneath her bed and began emptying her dresser into her bag. A blinking red light caught her attention. She headed towards her telephone's answering machine, which she kept on the table. The blinking button informed her that she had a new message.

She pressed the button, and, after a beep and a short pause, she heard a familiar, male voice. "Hey Elle, it's me. The boss got worried when you didn't meet him up at the rendezvous. Heard that Grant is dead now, so that's good. We forwarded your money to your account… Elle, where the fuck are you? I think they're sending someone over to check up on you. Call me back ASAP. We need to talk."

Ravyn quickly deleted the message. In doing so, she began to place her life as a paid assassin behind her. She returned to the other side of the room to finish packing her clothes. The last thing she did before leaving her apartment, was to pry loose one of the boards at the center of her room. She retrieved a heavy, black briefcase from the hole and opened it. Inside, was a collection of guns, complete with ammunition and silencing equipment. Poison and darts were also contained inside a pocket of the briefcase. Ravyn chose a pistol from the bag and placed it behind her, tucked into her pants and hidden underneath her shirt.

Heaving the duffel bag over her shoulder and grabbing the briefcase with her other hand, Ravyn left her apartment without looking back.

Scott was beginning to get uneasy. Ravyn had been gone for ten minutes and he had not heard any noise or seen any light come from the apartment. The boys smoking pot had moved from the stairs to underneath the small maple tree, their eyes never leaving the door.

Finally, Ravyn emerged from the apartment, carrying a duffel bag and a large briefcase. It didn't take long for the boys to notice and surrounded her. "Where you goin', little Elle?" a large boy, obviously the leader of the gang, blocked her way and shoved her back. The ex-assassin felt her gun poking gently into her back.

"C'mon, Elle. You're not really gonna leave us? If you need a new place to sleep, my bed's always open to you." The boy grabbed Ravyn by the shoulders. Ravyn was calm, her face drawn into a frown. Her hand twitched closer to her gun.

The boy was suddenly wrenched away from her. Turning, Ravyn saw Scott, one of his hands balled up into a fist while the other gripped his omnipresent sunglasses. She could have sworn she saw red smoke rising from underneath the glasses. Jean marched to Ravyn and grabbed her suitcase from the ground. "Let's go."

"Awwww, hot damn, Elle! Is this the guy your fuc-" The leader of the boys began, pointing at Scott.

"You stay away from her," Scott stepped protectively in front of Ravyn.

"Thanks, but everything is under control." Ravyn said, trying to push Scott out of her way.

"Shut up, and get in the car." Scott's gaze never left the face of the leader of the bullies.

The grin disappeared from the leader's face, but he did nothing to stop Scott as he grabbed Ravyn's arm, and led her away from the gang.

The three were silent until they got to the car. Jean heaved Ravyn's briefcase into the trunk of Scott's car. "What did you put in this? Weights?" Jean asked, trying to relieve the tension. Her two companions didn't answer, moodily getting into the car.

It was only after a full ten minutes of driving when Jean again broke the stony silence. "So, your name's Elle?"

"No."

Scott looked at Jean, an annoyed expression on his face. Jean took a quick, secret look into Ravyn's mind. She was telling the truth. "Another alias?" she asked.

Ravyn sighed. "My boss used to called me Assassin Elle, and I guess it stuck. It's what all of them call me now."

"Them? Assassins?"

"Well, yeah… and the douchebags who live next door," Ravyn chuckled, smiling for the first time since the night she killed Grant. She dropped her smile when she saw her companions sitting quietly and unreadable, staring straight ahead. Picking up her unbuckled seatbelt, she idly twirled it around, a surreal calm coming over her.

And that was why she froze in horror when a car swerved off the road and collided with Scott's car.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here is the sixth chaper. Enjoy. As you probably know now, I have changed the rating to "M" for Language and Violence. And maybe for implied sex later. But I don't know. Maybe. I'm trying to keep Ravyn and Kurt's relationship strained and awkward for the moment because I feel that's how someone would act if they are introduced to a blue demon-looking mutant. So, yeah. That's all I can think of at the moment so please... carry on. R&R.**

**Disclaimer: So... I was told to write one of these. I do not own X-men: Evo. I am not that awesome.**

6.

The first thing that came to Ravyn's mind as the two cars crashed head-on into one another was the fact that she wasn't wearing her seat belt. She felt herself jerked to the front of the car, flying through the gap between the driver and passenger seat.

Unlike Scott and Jean, Ravyn didn't black out after the collision. Her eyes flew open to find herself pressed against the windshield of Scott's car. The impact of her body on the windshield, had cracked it, and a piece of glass had lodged itself into the center of her belly. Lifting herself off the shard of glass, Ravyn got her bearings. Scott and Jean were motionless against the airbags of the car. They sustained blows to their head and face, but they were breathing. Outside the car, a couple of figures steadily headed towards the car.

"Those fucking mutants bumped my fucking car!" one of the figures exclaimed.

"Aww Shit!" Another one laughed. "Let's teach that Summers how to drive."

Panicking as they got closer, Ravyn clamped her hands over her wound and willed herself to heal. Five seconds slowly passed and nothing happened. The world swam in front of her. Reaching over to Scott, she tried slapping his face. "Scott… Scott, you gotta wake up!" she choked out. A fresh flow of blood poured out of her wound. He stirred, but didn't wake up.

Ravyn crawled over him, opened his door, and stumbled onto the road. There were three boys who stood five feet away from her. Through her bleary vision, they all looked identical. They were the same height, at least five inches taller than her. They all were wearing the same red and white jackets and their expression matched each other: hatred.

"You mutants trashed my car!" one of them grabbed Ravyn's shoulder and shook it violently. Ravyn's breathing quickened. She felt a sticky liquid slide down her stomach as her wound refused to close up.

With all of her strength, Ravyn pushed the boy's hand away from her. Reaching behind her back, she pulled out her gun. The world started to spin. All the cars that passed the situation completely ignored it, not wanting to get involved. Half of Ravyn prayed that one of them would call the police while her other half reminded her of her bad history with the law enforcement.

"You… bumped us… jerkoffs!" Ravyn spat out, trying to keep her gun on them. Her legs began to shake and within seconds, she was on her knees.

The three laughed fearlessly, "Awwww, the little mutant thinks it was OUR FAULT?" Ravyn didn't know which boy spoke, but she sensed the sarcasm dripping from his words. Nevertheless, they took a step back when Ravyn aimed her gun expertly at one of the boy's head.

She pulled the trigger. Time seemed to slow for a moment. Behind the boys, she saw a large black van stop behind the boys. She watched as the bullet came to a complete stop in front of the boy's forehead, before it, as well as small twigs and particles of glass started to make a perfect circle around Scott's car.

The boys, obviously scared, took off running. Ravyn dropped her gun and collapsed into someone's arms. "I got her, Scott. Get Jean!"

Through half closed eyes, Ravyn saw Jean, levitated above Scott's car, arms outstretched and palms facing heaven. Her eyes, instead of their familiar green tint, were silver, and luminescent. A small tornado of winds had formed around her, dragging up leaves and pieces of the road. Scott was grabbing at her feet and shouting up to her, trying to get her back down onto land. Ravyn was brought back to the present by Logan applying pressure to her wound.

Ravyn arched her back in pain. "Why am I not healing myself?" She asked Logan, panicked. Logan turned away from her, his senses overcome with blood.

"We've got to get you out of here."

He heaved her up into his arms and sprinted for the black car. Suddenly, Ravyn felt something foreign enter her mind. _Ravyn, shoot me._ Jean's voice reverberated in her brain. Ravyn's eyes widened in horror. The tornado around Jean became more forceful, picking up both Scott's car as well as the mutant-haters' car. Rogue had made it to Scott and they were both trying to get Jean. Storm, using her power to combat Jean's tornado. By this time, the cars attempting to pass the road stopped their cars and ran on foot away from the situation.

"Logan!" Kitty grabbed Logan by the arm and phased him and Ravyn through a downed telephone pole. She was holding Ravyn's gun.

The van's door was opened by Evan. "The professor is on his way." He stated, glancing nervously at Jean.

Through all of this, Ravyn, who was rapidly losing her senses, could still hear Jean's voice. In addition to begging for help, Jean was also telling her where she could shoot her. _Ravyn, please! Help me!_ Ravyn heard sirens getting closer.

Driven mad, Ravyn grabbed her gun from Kitty, quickly took aim, and fired. The bullet curved into Jean's windstorm and expertly found it's mark: Jean's forehead. Jean's arms fell limply by her side, and Jean fell out of the sky; right into Scott's outstretched arms.

As soon as Ravyn had pulled the trigger, her gun had been twisted out of her grip and she had been forced into the van. Kitty stood over her, tears filling her eyes. Evan, stone faced and silent, expertly took the steering wheel.

Ravyn felt the van move. Being in its enclosed environment calmed her down. It wasn't long before she felt a familiar tingling in her stomach. The pain subsided, and Ravyn forced herself up. Evan was in the driver's seat, silently navigating the van back to the institute. Hearing a metallic click behind her, Ravyn turned to find herself face to face with the barrel of her own gun. "What are you doing?"

"Is this really the only way to reach you?" Kitty's eyes flashed angrily.

"Listen, Kitty," Ravyn said, raising her arm in front of her. She remembered training for situations like this, and knew that the first thing to do was calm the person down. "She told me to-" Her voice faded when Kitty pressed the gun against her neck.

"Don't force me to check the strength of your power," Kitty's eyes shown with determination.

Ravyn stared emotionlessly at Kitty and didn't move from her position on the floor. Evan stopped the car, signaling their arrival back at the mansion. "Let's go," he said, grabbing Ravyn's arm and firmly leading her away from the van. Ravyn didn't struggle; not because of the gun pressed to her back, but because she was tired. Tired of running and struggling.

Evan led Ravyn towards a door she had never seen before. Inside, was a flight of stairs, heading to what she presumed to be a basement. The basement was well-made. A strange, shinning metal lined the ceiling, walls, and floor so that it looked as if they were headed down a long pipe.

Opening a door to his left, Evan pushed Ravyn into the room. One glance inside the room told Ravyn what it was: an interrogation room. The only furniture in the room was a large, rectangular, table and a metal chair. Across from the table and chair was a mirror, from which the assassin knew Evan and Kitty were watching. Sitting in the chair, she waited, staring pointedly at the mirror.

Evan and Kitty silently began a staring contest with their prisoner. "I don't like her. In three days, she's like, hurt Kurt, Jean, and Rogue." Kitty rubbed her closed eyes.

Evan was silent.

"What are you thinking, Evan?" Kitty asked, turning to her friend with concern.

"When I talked to her the night of her… drug incident she was fine. She seemed strange… yes, but almost… normal."

The duo heard heavy footsteps above them, undoubtedly from Wolverine. The sounds of muffled voices quickly passed over them. "I'll check what he wants us to do with the assassin." Kitty expertly climbed up a desk and leapt to the ceiling, phasing through the barrier separating them from the rest of the x-men.

Evan turned back to his prisoner in time to see her quickly wipe something from her eye. She had curled up in a fetal position, hugging her legs to her chest. She placed her forehead on top of her knees, curling up so that she took up the least amount of space possible. Several times he had turned on the microphone to speak to her, only to think better of it and turn it back off.

It wasn't long before Kitty returned. Frowning slightly, Kitty said, "Wolverine wants us to let her out."

Evan was relieved.

Kitty continued. "She saved Jean, apparently. I'll let her out. Wolverine wants you to help with Jean."

Spike took one last look at Kitty before leaving the room. Kitty phased through the wall, keeping a tight grip on the gun she confiscated from Ravyn.

"You're out."

"You know that she told me to shoot her."

"It doesn't matter. You're free." Kitty opened the door and gestured Ravyn to leave.

"You know I'm trying-."

"No, you're not!" Kitty's eyes flashed dangerously. "You totally isolate yourself from us and then expect us to trust you when you get into trouble. You have hurt, like, three of us as well as yourself in the few days we've known you."

Ravyn was silent for a few moments. She walked over to Kitty. She was barely audible when she said "My job for the past two years of my life was to hide out in the open; to be the girl that people see, but don't remember. I can't stand when people look at me and see more than just a person."

"What are you, like, scared that we care about you?"

"It's different."

Kitty's expressioned turned from severe annoyance to a blank, vacant expression. The fact was that she couldn't relate to what Ravyn was telling her, but she had heard the same thing, word for word from another person: Kurt.

She sighed. "It gets better, you know? Just give us a chance."

"I don't know." Ravyn said this thoughtfully, but Kitty interpreted it as a plan to leave the institute.

* * *

><p>The first place Ravyn visited after Kitty let her out of the interrogation room was the infirmary. It was a mess. Light objects and medical equipment whirled around in a familiar twister. At the eye of the twister was an unconscious Jean. The Professor, Storm, Rogue, and Evan were all clustered around her. Ravyn tagged Logan as he re-entered the infirmary, carrying a bunch of sketchy-looking bottles.<p>

"Logan, I can-"

"Stay away from me, kid."

"Logan! Logan, please wait. You know I didn't hurt her. I can help her!" She dodged a flying pair of scissors. I can heal her. " By this time, she and Logan had reached Jean's bedside. Logan completely ignored the healer and took his place at the head of the bed, talking with the Professor and bandaging up Jean. Jean looked like she could be sleeping being that her breaths were still even. She had a large bruise on her forehead, and a light trickle of blood seeping from the bruise. The bullet hadn't entered her skull. Ravyn only had a second to look at Jean before Evan grabbed her wrist tightly.

"Ravyn. Ravyn, listen to me. You can't stay here."

"I could help her! Tell Logan I can-"

Evan shook his head, and forcefully pushed Ravyn away. "Please, Ravyn! For once will you just listen?... Look, see Kurt? Stay with him."

Ravyn turned to see the demon leaning against the doorway of the infirmary for support, his golden eyes watching her intently. She had walked right past him. Dazed, and shoved forward by Evan, she made her way to him.

Kurt knew that she was in some form of mental shock when she approached him, her eyes glancing wildly about. "Tell them. I can help. I need to be there."

"No… you don't." Grabbing her arm, Kurt teleported out of the infirmary.

He reappeared outside the institute; in Storm's garden. His shoulder throbbed along with his heartbeat as he teleported. The girl, brought back to reality by the unorthodox transportation, immediately shoved him away. "Don't touch me."

She was back to her old self. Kurt wasn't sure why he missed her arrogant, stubborn voice and the way she reached behind her back, searching for her gun every time she felt threatened.

Looking at her, clean and semi-composed, Kurt took another look at the newest mutant. She had long brown hair that tapered down to her lower back. She had long eyelashes that framed her hard set brown eyes. Her body seemed slightly out of proportions: her legs we very muscular while her arms were skinny and slender. Her skin was perfect; no flaw was permitted on her body because of her healing ability. She could have been pretty if she were raised to be that way. Kurt smirked at her, sitting with his back against a tree trunk. Their current position reminded him so much of their time they spent in the forest.

"You know I'm not going to hurt you." Kurt was calm; a little bit sad for her. "What do you think will happen if I touch you? You will burst into flames?

"Well, what the hell do you want me to think? You're a demon, aren't you?"

Kurt's smile suddenly left his face and he looked down, seemingly interested with the bugs reveling in the dirt beside him. He saw the girl take a seat on one of the benches that Storm had placed in her garden and play with her feet.

"I'm sorry."

Kurt looked up at Ravyn. He had never thought that she would ever say those two words to him, and, by the expression on her face, he noted that, in her life, she had never said those words before. He didn't know what to say to her without risking her offensive comments.

He stood up and took a seat beside her. Ravyn, more out of habit than disgust, turned away from him. He took her soft hand in his large, disfigured one. "So? Where's the fire?"

Her hand was limp in his and her expression was unreadable. He didn't know that her heart had skipped a beat when he had touched her, or that as he held her hand, her heart rate was going at a breakneck speed.

Ravyn stared at her hand, as if waiting for it to sprout blue fur. His fur felt soft and velvety and… different. Ravyn twitched and took her hand out of his grasp. She waited a couple of seconds; waited for her heart rate to go back to normal, before speaking. "Um… Will Jean be alright?"

Kurt stared up into her eyes, his bright gold eyes unnerving her. "From what I heard, Logan was more nervous about you than Jean."

"What?"

"Jean is fine. When she was a young girl, the professor found out that she… she had too much power so he had to lock it away in the back of her mind. Today, a part of that power got loose and was manifested. Because of your bullet, the professor might be able to get into her mind and help her control that part of her."

Ravyn didn't care much about Jean "H-he was worried about me?"

"You're a young mutant just discovering your powers, and an extremely powerful telepathic mutant messed around with your mind-"

"But I can heal her."

"As I said: you're a young mutant just discovering your powers. We don't want to risk hurting anyone."

A heavy silence rested on the two. Ravyn opened her mouth to say something, but then promptly closed it.

Ravyn tried again. "Kurt… right?"

A smile grew on Kurt's face as she used his name for the first time. "Yeah… Ravyn?" He smirked at her.

A shadow of a smile crossed Ravyn's face. "Were you always… uh… the way-"

"Blue, demonic, and furry? Yeah."

Ravyn nodded and looked away from him. For a while they both sat in an uncomfortable silence before Ravyn spoke. "Look, there's something you should know before I-"

"Kurt?" Ravyn was interrupted by Kitty, who had entered the garden through a large stone door. Rogue followed behind her. "Ohmigod, Kurt! You're up and about!" She jumped into his arms, giving him a tight hug.

Even though his shoulder hurt, Kurt grinned at his best friend. "It would take more than that to kill me."

After Kitty let him go, Rogue stepped forward to greet, not hug, her brother. "Where did Ravyn go?"

"She's right here-" Kurt turned, but Ravyn was gone.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here is the seventh chaper. Enjoy it. It's a pretty long one. **

**Disclaimer: So... I was told to write one of these. I do not own X-men: Evo. I am not that awesome.**

7.

The next morning found Wolverine and Ravyn together in the danger room. With all the action and drama that had happened during the last few days the last thing Logan wanted to do was have a session with the instigator. Earlier that morning, he had driven Storm to the train station, where she was going to take an train to Washington D.C. She hoped to convince congress that mutants and humans could live together in harmony. Though he didn't harbor any special feelings for Storm, Logan found himself greatly missing her presence in the mansion.

Logan had just finished showing Ravyn around the danger room; every motion she made or word she said greatly annoyed him. "Since you have already been 'trained', the professor created a scenario that will show us what you could do."

"Alright. But what's my mission?" Ravyn was wearing a loose-fitting black t-shirt and comfortable, short jean shorts. She had put her hair in its customary French braid, making sure there wasn't a strand of hair in her face. She could tell that Logan saw her outfit as uncomfortable and inappropriate for the danger room, which he treated with some form of sacredness.

"To survive."

"Wait. What?" Ravyn chased after Logan, but he closed the door to the danger room before she reached him. She heard the drone of a machine before the lights in the danger room dimmed and the room was transformed from a large open room to the grounds of a city. Ravyn recognized the layout as the alleyways of Bayville. Reaching behind her back and pulling out her gun, she entered the maze of streets.

Calming her frayed nerves, Ravyn picked an alleyway and walked its length. Mist shrouded her vision, and she hugged the wall, keeping her eyes and ears open. This test looked too real.

Hearing the sound, Ravyn shot at the figure moving behind her. She heard a satisfying thump as the figure collapsed. Ravyn approached the body and turned it over. The figure she killed didn't have any weapons on him, or any facial features, which freaked her out. She stared, partially hypnotized at the dummy's limp body.

Suddenly, something grabbed her from behind. Giving a gasp of surprise, Ravyn kicked her attacker in the groin. After he rolled off her, she shot him in the head. Another faceless dummy stared up at her. Looking above his body, Ravyn made out three figures coming steadily closer to her, all armed: one of them carried a gun, while the other two carried knives.

Ravyn hit the ground as a bullet whizzed over her. She slid across the rough concrete floor and shot the leg of the dummy with the gun. As the dummy was still falling, a bullet buried into his head and claimed his life.

The dummy's two companions were already close to Ravyn when she shot her gun. Leaping to her right, she grabbed the neck of one of the faceless creatures, and, while using him as a shield, fatally shot the other dummy. As a bullet exited her gun, another bullet buried itself into her inhuman shield. The dummy she was holding collapsed, and Ravyn faced the direction the bullet came from. She could barely see three yards in front of her because of the heavy mist which settled around her.

An eerie silence fell over the danger room. Out of nowhere, one dummy holding a gun launched itself out of the mist. A steady bullet brought him down. Rushing to the lifeless lump, Ravyn ripped the gun out of his hands. She sprayed the mist with bullets, hearing thump after thump as she brought down countless attackers. There were many of them. They were climbing up the buildings and rushing towards her on every side. Ravyn heard a rhythm of clicks as her gun signaled the end of its usefulness. The assassin jumped behind boxes and crates in time to hear and feel bullets hitting the wood of her makeshift shield. They were getting closer.

Ravyn peeked from behind the crates and fired her shotgun. The mist had disappeared to reveal fifty dummies, all armed with knives and guns, quickly approaching her. They were ten yards away when she heard the dooming click of her shotgun.

Muttering an expletive under her breath, she threw the gun away, reached behind her, grabbing her knife, and charged into the fray. Quickly, she was forced to jump onto her side, dodging gunfire. She felt one bullet graze her side, but didn't feel the pain. She slid under one dummy, cutting into his groin with her knife. She was close enough to all of her attackers for them to render their guns close to useless. She kicked the chest of one dummy into the crowd behind him as she sliced the throat of his friend beside him. She kept turning, now pretty much surrounded on all sides, laying corpse above corpse, not leaving her side unprotected for long.

It was only a few seconds before she found herself gasping for breath. Her steps became uneasy from exertion and she turned slowly, trying to keep her flanks defended. Through her peripheral vision, she caught a movement to her right. She turned to find a long cutlass through her chest. She closed her eyes tightly and a tear squeezed out. She failed.

Ravyn slowly opened her eyes, feeling the absence of pain. Wolverine stood in front of her, slowly clapping his hands mockingly. The alley and all of the bodies had disappeared, leaving the danger room as spotless at it had been when she had entered it. The cutlass had disappeared, leaving no tear in her clothes or skin.

"Not once did you use your power, kid. What's wrong with you?"

The sweaty girl collapsed to the floor, panting. At Wolverine's words, she looked up at him defiantly. "What was the point of that?" She gasped out.

"I wanted to see what you could do."

"And what did you see?"

"Recklessness. You shot anything that moved. The professor had put in civilians in this test, and you killed most of them. Half of the things you killed weren't trying to hurt you! You failed, kid. Bad."

Ravyn flinched. She had never failed any test or mission. She shot back angrily. "So what? I failed because I shot civilians who I could heal later?"

Wolverine bent down until he was eye level with Ravyn. "You know how much it hurts to heal someone. You are literally taking the pain out of someone's body and inflicting it on yourself."

"I have trust and respect in my power-"

"You don't know anything about respect, kid. You will never respect your mutant ability until you respect yourself... I should know." Claws shot out of Wolverine's knuckles after he spoke. Ravyn felt an unusual feeling of admiration mingled with anger at her teacher as she looked at him again.

She couldn't argue with him. He was right. As long as her family, the only people she loved, were safe, she didn't care what happened to her. Her employers gave her the most difficult missions, knowing that she would jump at the opportunity to gain more money for the people she had to protect.

Wolverine saw her bottom lip tremble in anger and defeat. "Wash up. You're done here. You will resume training with the others tomorrow.

Ravyn lost no time in storming out of the danger room, but instead of obeying Logan's orders, Ravyn headed straight to the institute's gym. She had spent most of her time there yesterday, after escaping from Storm's garden, punching a large red boxing sack until her knuckles bled then healed themselves.

Upon entering the gym, Ravyn found that she was not alone. Kurt was high above her on the rafters, swinging from one to the other, doing complicated acrobatic flips. She had not spoken a word to him since their talk in Storm's garden, where she almost told him the one thing that she knew she couldn't tell anyone. What scared her was how easy it was to give up her secret to him, and since then, she had made it a point to stay as far away from the blue devil as possible.

Kurt saw her looking up, amazed at his acrobatic feats, and hung upside-down from his tail. "Gutentalk!" He was shirtless, and Ravyn found herself staring at his well-toned muscles.

"Uh-sorry. I didn't know someone was in here. I was just gonna- you know what? Never mind." Ravyn muttered, turning to leave. She heard a muffled gun shot behind her and saw Kurt materialize in front of her. She jumped back in horror and tripped over a mat, falling ungracefully on her back.

"Sorry. Logan always tells me not to do that." He grabbed her limp arm and pulled her up.

"Well, maybe you should listen to him." She immediately regretted speaking when she saw Kurt's hurt facial expression. Besides Jean, who was more or less in a coma, he was the only one who tried to reach out to her and get to know her better. As he was turning away, she reached out and grabbed his shoulder, feeling his velvety fur. "Wait."

She saw his ear twitch before he turned back to face her. As his eyes met with hers, Ravyn felt her legs grow weak and her brain stop working. "Um-look… I didn't mean that. I just-It's just… instinctive…"

Kurt said nothing, but continued to gaze into Ravyn's eyes as if trying to figure her out. Finally, he spoke. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to." He said before nodding to the red punching sack.

Reluctantly, Ravyn took her place beside the punching bag as Kurt continued jumping fancily from rafter to rafter. She threw punch after punch into the bag's soft body, but, more than once, Ravyn found herself taking quick glances up to the rafters in time to see Kurt do a complicated flip. She could feel his gaze on her at the times when she threw in a kick or would punch the bag far away from her. She smirked to herself. Were they trying to impress each other?

Ravyn was the first to stop the cycle by moving away from the boxing sack to get a drink of water. She gently jerked her head to one side, inviting Kurt to join her. She heard the familiar muffled gunshot and felt the air beside her get displaced as he reappeared. He was covered in sweat and panting heavily, but still smiled as downed a bottle of water.

"Where did you learn those tricks?" Ravyn's voice sounded foreign in the spacious gymnasium.

"Germany. I was in a circus," he said, avoiding eye contact with his peer.

Ravyn's mind worked quickly, picking up his untold story from his body language. _Germany. Circus. He was in the freak show. Was possibly maltreated while there, but still loves what they taught him. _Aloud, she said, "Well. You're a really good acrobat."

"Danke. It comes in handy sometimes." He smirked at her. "You just came from a session with Logan, didn't you?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"I could tell by the way the punching bag took a pounding."

For the first time, Kurt saw Ravyn smile. He could tell it was a while since she had actually smiled at someone. "You smile nice." He blurted out. Ravyn immediately whipped her head to stare at him strangely, the smile gone. She didn't look angry, but she looked confused; almost self-conscious.

"Um… Gracias. It comes in handy sometimes." Her smile briefly returned to her face, but quickly vanished when she turned her attention to the window. A car was parked outside the gates to the Xavier institute. Ravyn shook her head, ruling it to her paranoia, and turned her attention back to Kurt.

Still slightly mortified, Kurt had turned away from Ravyn to gather up his things, revealing his back to her. On his back were long, snake-like, stripes which didn't seem to have a pattern. Scars. Some were recent, no doubt from his fight with Sabertooth, but some were old and permanently hardened into his flesh. There were so many of them. Ravyn didn't know a body could carry that many wounds and still be able to function properly.

Ravyn could hear Logan's words to her ringing in her ears, but she still reached out to touch and heal Kurt's scars. She was inches away from feeling his fur when Kurt's tail shot up and twisted her arm, gently but firmly, behind her back. His eyes burrowed into hers. "Don't."

"I wasn't-"

"No, Ravyn!" Kurt's tail released her arm. Ravyn was only able to stretch it out for a second before Kurt grabbed both her arms with his three-fingered hands, forcing Ravyn to stare into his golden eyes. She could have easily twisted out of his grasp, but a part of her didn't want to. Once Ravyn looked up at him, Kurt continued, "I know what you were trying to do."

"Heal you? Why is everyone telling me not to use my ability? Why am I here if no one wants my help?" Ravyn exploded.

"So you're going to heal me, then what? Are you going to writhe on the floor while I celebrate ?"

Ravyn stared wildly at Kurt, tears building up in her eyes, that she didn't let fall. She didn't even show that she had tears threatening to fall down her face. "Pain is the only thing that makes me feel like a human."

Kurt was silent. He didn't know what to say to her because there were times when he felt the exact same way. For the longest time, his most prized possession was hologram watch. Whenever he had it on, he relished the time when no one judged him or ran away from him in horror.

Hearing someone approaching the door, Ravyn pulled herself out of Kurt's grip just as the door opened. Rogue stared from the ex-assassin to her step brother, sweaty and panting, glaring at each other. "Am I interrupting something-?"

"No. I was just leaving." Ravyn walked away from Kurt. She nodded to Rogue in greeting before exiting the gym.

"What was that all about? I could hear your voices from the-"

"Rogue…"

"Fine. I'll leave you to your sulking," Rogue said, throwing up her arms in mock surrender before closing the door. Turning, she saw Ravyn staring curiously through a nearby window. "You okay? Is Kurt being annoying, again?"

"Can you read the license plate of that car for me?"

Rogue looked at Ravyn strangely, but took a look out the window. "643….NGP… or B… I can't-"

"I thought so."

"Um… Excuse me?"

Ravyn ignored her. "Where's the professor?"

"Ravyn, look at me." Rogue grabbed the younger girl's shoulders. "What is going on?"

"Nothing. An old acquaintance is just paying me a visit." Rogue noticed a shadow crept over Ravyn's face. The younger girl's gaze returned to the parked car. "I've gotta find the professor." With that, she sprinted past Rogue and disappeared down the hallway.

* * *

><p>Professor Xavier was silently sitting in his wheelchair doing paperwork when Ravyn barged through the door to his office.<p>

"There's an assassin watching the institute."

The Professor took a quick glance at Ravyn before returning his gaze to the window. "I know. Is he a friend of yours?"

"None of them are my friends."

The Professor turned his wheelchair to face the institute's newest student. "Ravyn, what do you want from me?"

"I want to speak with him."

"So how can I help you?"

"Turn off the alarms." The professor stared at her with a confused expression. "Your fountain has guns. There are three cameras in this room alone and even more in the foyer."

"I guess being an assassin has its perks," the Professor chuckled. He pressed a button to the side of his desk. "Go."

Ravyn left the professor and stopped at the front door. Through the clear glass doors of the institute, she was able to clearly see the silhouette of a woman in the passenger seat.

She slipped out the back door of the institute and tediously climbed up the high brick walls that surrounded the property of the Xavier Institute for talented youth. Calmly, she approached the parked car from behind. There were two people in the car: a man and a woman. The man had his hand out the window, holding a lighted cigarette. The woman was on her cellphone, obviously not paying attention to the mansion or anything around her. _Who hired the two idiots to spy on me? _She thought. She bent towards the passenger-side window and tapped the glass.

Two sets of sky blue eyes fell on her. She didn't have to wait long before the woman rolled down her window, an annoyed expression on her unattractive face. She had short blonde hair, cut to her ears. Her bright blue eyes were the only thing likeable on her face. Her nose was slightly turned up, making her look like she constantly smelled something bad. Her eyes, nose, and mouth all seemed to be all close together at the center of her face.

Her brother, who sat beside her, smoking a cigarette, was not much more attractive than his older sister. His hair always had a buzz cut which accented his thick neck. His eyes were deep inside his skull and his nose was long and pointed. He stared at Ravyn with extreme disgust. And flexed his muscles, the only good quality he had on his bulky body.

"You may want to change cars next time you stalk a house," Ravyn stated. She laughed wryly. "I should have known the bosses would send the two dumbest assassins to come and find me. "

"We weren't hired by the bosses, Elle. We were privately hired," The girl said, getting out of the car. She wore and a white shirt, which she had tucked into her long, tight, black pants. Her brother got out of the car and approached the two girls.

"By who?..." Ravyn paused as she noticed the heavy built man get uncomfortably close to her. "Hello, Chaz."

"Elle." The man said in greeting.

"Isn't it obvious?" his sister said in her annoyingly high-pitched voice.

"Connor? Why would he hire you two?"

"He had no one else to hire. Plus, we had… useful information for him," the woman reached up and brushed Ravyn's hair in a motherly fashion. "Your scar is gone."

"I know." Ravyn whacked the woman's hand away from her face. "Well? What do you want from me?"

"Tell her, Lucy," Chaz said.

Lucy spoke quickly. "You left on a mission and never came back. So, Connor freaked out…"

"I know. He called me."

Lucy continued as if Ravyn didn't speak. "We were driving yesterday when we saw some a man carrying you away from some mutant fight. There were two cars and a levitating girl. The man threw you into a van and the van took off. We followed it back here. I then confronted Connor and forced him to pay us ten thousand dollars for your safe return."

"I'm not going back." Ravyn lifted her hand to her ear and removed her hidden earpiece. "You could go tell the bosses and Connor to go fuck themselves." She threw the earpiece at their feet.

Ravyn saw Chaz's hand curl up into a bone-breaking fist. His sister gently put her arm on the mutant's shoulder. "Elle, honey. He loves you."

"I don't give a damn about him. Does anyone else know I'm here?"

The siblings did not speak. _Good. They haven't told anyone. Idiots._

"Come on, Elle. We're going to take you home." Lucy grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the car.

"No." Ravyn pulled herself out of Lucy's grip. "You two, get out of here. I don't ever want to see you again."

She had barely finished the sentence when Chaz pulled out a gun from his coat pocket. "Get in the damn car, Elle."

Instead of answering, Ravyn reached behind her for her gun. It wasn't there. The girl's mind raced. She thought back to what she did that day before realizing that she had left it in the danger room. She slowly raised her hands. Chaz chuckled at her helplessness as his sister, Lucy, patted her down. Ravyn prayed that the Professor was watching the scene from his office window. She turned and found to her dismay that the hedges covered up the entire area that the scene was taking place.

Ravyn quickly grabbed Lucy and shoved her into her brother. She then sprinted for the gun, which fell from Chaz's hand..

Chaz quickly untangled himself from his sister and grabbed Ravyn's arm, and, using all the strength in his one arm, threw her against his car. Before the girl could recover, he began pummeling her with well-placed blows.

Ravyn was on the defensive. The only thing going through her mind was the way to block the next punch Chaz aimed at her. She knew that she could easily handle Chaz or Lucy any day, but, now that they were working together as a team and she had forgotten her gun, she knew she didn't have a chance. She felt bruises forming on her arms as she blocked blow after blow. Chaz lifted her off the hood of his car and held her up for his sister to land a punch on her jaw. Stars flashed across Ravyn's vision. She tasted the metallic taste of blood and for a moment, she lay limp in Chaz's arms.

Lucy's voice brought her senses back to reality. "Elle, we are going to ask you nicely one more time. Do you want to voluntarily get in the car, or do we have to force you?"

Ravyn struggled to stand. She was tense all over and forced her legs to lock in place. She waited for the tingling sensation of her mutant ability, but it didn't come. She faced Chaz, who stared at her with a triumphant glare. She spat her blood onto his face.

She watched as Chaz's face turned nearly as red as the blood on his face. "Chaz, no!" His sister screamed, getting in between him and Ravyn. "He wants her alive." Her brother roared in anger as he tore his sister away from Ravyn and threw her to the ground. He then grabbed Ravyn's shoulders and rammed her hard against the driver's door of his car. Ravyn felt something snap in her back before she crumpled to a heap beside the car. She lay limp on the ground as Chaz took his time to reach her, relishing every moment. She felt a familiar tingling on the surfaces of her back, arms, and mouth. Her relief was only for a second. Chaz, having reached the motionless girl, put his heavy boot on Ravyn's chest, slowly breaking her ribcage and puncturing her lungs.

Ravyn knew Chaz. She had worked with him for two years, and had saved his worthless life thousands of times. She knew that inside his pants leg, he kept a spare knife. Grabbing his ankle with one hand, she tried to relieve the crushing sensation that was quickly spreading throughout her body. The other hand slid deftly up his pants leg until it felt something sharp and metal. Flicking her wrist, she expertly cut her attacker's leg with the knife.

Chaz bellowed in pain, and his foot left its place on Ravyn's chest, and was immediately replaced with the tingling sensation. In Ravyn's hand was a three-inch pocket knife. Quickly rolling onto her feet she grabbed the screaming Chaz and forced him to his knees and slit his throat. The sound emitted from his mouth turned from a pure note to a gurgled mess as he quickly choked.

Lucy screamed in horror and grabbed her brother's gun. Tears poured out of her eyes, blurring her vision, making her unable to aim her weapon. Ravyn used her momentary blindness to her advantage and stabbed her in the heart. Lucy dropped the gun, and stared, shocked, straight into Ravyn's hazel eyes. Her hands went around the younger girl's neck for support, before slowly sliding down, beside her brother, joining him in death.

The fight, which had taken less than two minutes, seemed to Ravyn to have taken place over two hours. The murderer sank to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. She had killed many people, but she had never killed anyone as gruesomely as she did to her ex-coworkers. Fat tears of regret and extreme shock fell down her cheeks as she gently cradled Lucy's face. "Please don't die…" she muttered over and over, trying to suck out the death from Lucy's face.

That was when Professor Xavier entered the scene. "Ravyn…"

"I didn't want them to die." Ravyn muttered, barely audible.

"It's time for you to choose sides, Ravyn. You could leave now. We won't look for you again… Or you could continue your training with us… but… if you choose to stay with us, we cannot afford to have any more of this."

The whole time the Professor spoke, Ravyn had dragged herself upright and put herself to work on stuffing the two siblings into the trunk of the car. "I'll be back in an hour."

Ravyn got into the driver's seat. The professor wheeled himself to her bloodstained window. Leaning his head thoughtfully against his hands he spoke one word. "Where?"

"Putting my past behind me."

Ravyn drove away. If she had taken a glance back, she would have noticed that, in the place of the professor, was a blue skinned mutant with bright red hair.

* * *

><p>Branches scratched the car on every side as Ravyn returned to the woods where Kurt had teleported her to when they had first met. In the bright daylight, the woods had a foreboding sense of mystery and intrigue. Most of the trees had no branches close to the ground, adding to the mysticism of the area. Ravyn knew where she was going, but at the moment, was driving wherever she could. Many times she passed clearings that could have been where she and Kurt spent the day yelling at each other, but, quickly glancing over to scan each clearing, she never saw the gun she had recklessly tossed aside. Finally, through a bit of luck, she found her destination: the cliff.<p>

After putting the car in neutral, Ravyn exited the car and walked behind it. She held tightly to Lucy's prized possession as she took her position behind the car. Lucy's cellphone seemed to retain the warmth of its previous owner's hands. Ravyn dialed the one number she had dialed many times in her past.

"You find her?" a male voice seeped through the cellphone.

"You disgust me."

"Elle?"

"Sending the two idiots after me? The hell do you think you are?"

"Where are you? Are you alright? Listen-"

"No you listen to me, Connor," Ravyn spat out the name, "I can take care of myself. For the first time in my freakin' life I feel safe and you think it's your responsibility to destroy that? Leave. Me. Alone."

"Wait-what? Elle-"

"You will never see or hear from me again, got that?"

"Wait, Elle-! Ravyn hung up on him before she could hear any more. She peered down into the small canyon that the cliff overlooked. There was a large river flowing between the two cliffs moving rapidly over jagged rocks. The mutant took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air, feeling as though a burden had been lifted off her shoulders. Giving a loud, hysterical laugh, Ravyn genuinely smiled at the cloudy sky… until the phone rang. The obnoxious Valkyrie tune played over and over as Connor tried to get back in contact with her.

Taking a step back for more force, Ravyn flung the cellphone into the canyon. The Valkyrie tune faded into silence before crashing into the ground ten seconds later. A light drizzle of rain began to pour as Elle moved again to the back of the car. Placing one foot on the trunk, she gave a strong push to the vehicle, sending it toppling over the cliff. Stiffly turning on her heal, Ravyn left without taking a glance back.

* * *

><p>By the time she had returned to the Xavier institute, the sky had turned into a dull, wet dark. The light drizzle had promptly turned into a full-blown thunderstorm when Ravyn left the forest, and she was eager to get into her warm bed. The Xavier institute loomed ahead of her, casting a welcoming light on the pavement. The girl sloshed through a mud puddle before reaching the ominous gates. Finding them unlocked, she silently slipped through the gate and cautiously made her way through the front yard, being on guard for the mansion's unique alarm system.<p>

Her reflexion in the doorway stared back critically at her. The rain had washed away the bloodstains from her skin and, thanks to a short stop at a friendly gas station, she was able to wash and brush through her hair in the cramped bathroom. Wrapping her arms around her cold body, she rang the doorbell. She didn't have to wait long before someone opened the door.

Logan stared at Ravyn for a moment. He hadn't seen her since their session in the danger room and no one had told him that she had left. He had assumed that she purposefully missed lunch and dinner in order to shun him. She stood, lighted by the dim outdoor lantern, arms wrapped around her shivering body. She was dripping wet, pools of water forming quickly at her feet. "Are you gonna let me in?"

"When did you go-"

"Ravyn, there you are. Can I speak with you privately in my office?" Professor Xavier appeared behind Logan and motioned for Ravyn to step inside.

Although, the inside of the institute was considerably warmer than the crisp autumn outdoors, Ravyn still shivered in her wet clothing as she stepped into the foyer. Muttering something moodily under his breath, he retreated into the kitchen.

The rest of the remaining x-men, who had just finished eating dinner in the dining hall, entered the foyer. Immediately their talking and laughing ceased as they took in their new comrade's appearance. All of them had assumed that Ravyn was having a mood swing in her room.

Ravyn entered the Professor's office and locked the door behind her.

"Well?" the professor asked, motioning to a chair.

"I'm done with the life of an assassin. I took your advice. Now I want to learn."

The professor didn't remember giving her any advice recently, but didn't let that fact bother him.

"Then you have to live by our rules. You've got to truly leave that world behind you. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. You will join the rest of the students in a danger room session this weekend," the professor handed her a brown bag. "Here. You will need to wear this. It's the x-men uniform."

Ravyn peered into the bag. "There's no way I'm wearing-" She stopped and looked at the professor, who gave her an unsympathetic look. Ravyn rolled her eyes and responded. "Fine."


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey, Everyone! I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! Here is the eighth chaper. I really wanted to get this in before 2012. This is also pretty long. Enjoy, and I hope you all have a great New Year!**

**Disclaimer: So... I was told to write one of these. I do not own X-men: Evo. I am not that awesome.**

8.

It was only five in the afternoon on a Saturday when Ravyn found herself in the tight, spandex of the suit and sitting cross-legged in front of the danger room door. The red and black light suit hugged every curve of her body. She crossed her arms self-consciously over her chest. The week had gone by without incident. She stayed out of the way of most of the mutants and they did their best to stay away from her. The only people she talked to were the Professor and Jean, who she visited in the infirmary. Slowly, she had learned about the lifestyle of mutants from Jean, while the Professor worked privately with her, teaching her about the development of her ability.

She also talked with Evan from time to time, watching him as he showed off his skateboarding tricks. In turn, she taught him how to shoot a gun, which usually ended up with her becoming frustrated with Evan's lack of sharpshooting skill and leaving him.

Her relationship with Kurt puzzled her. It had become a custom that they would both go to the gymnasium at the same time, practice in their own corners for an hour, then have an uncomfortable conversation before leaving. As she practiced throwing punches at the punching sack, Ravyn found herself taking longer glances at Kurt, silently admiring his physique and talent. Something about him intrigued her… but only in the gym. Kurt learned the hard way to never talk or acknowledge her presence outside the sacred gymnasium.

"I never thought you'd be the first to be at the door of the danger room," Evan said, finding Ravyn in her position in front of the door.

Ravyn smirked. "Trust me, I never thought that either."

There was a pause as Evan bent down to tie his shoes. "So… you're staying for good now?"

"I guess."

Evan took a seat beside her and looked her over. "No gun?"

Ravyn shook her head and plucked at her costume. She had felt an unbelievable calm while talking with Evan, which disappeared when Kurt entered the hallway, looking quizzically at the two of them. "Hi," Ravyn muttered, quickly averting her eyes from his.

"You ready for the danger room, Nightcrawler?" Evan said, oblivious of the uncomfortable air between Kurt and Ravyn.

"Yeah. Spent some time in the practice room." Kurt tried to catch Ravyn's eyes but failed.

Kitty and Rogue both entered together. Kitty animatedly telling a story in hushed tones while Rogue pretended to listen to her. Her eyes were glazed over and her mind was obviously elsewhere.

"Hey Rogue," Kurt winked at her, a teasing tone dominating his voice. "Did you get a call from Remy yet?"

Rogue gave Kurt a death glare as Evan's face broke into a grin. Kitty glared at the two boys. Ravyn's eyes narrowed in recognition and disappointment, which wasn't lost on Rogue.

"What was that look, Ravyn? You know him?"

Ravyn found five pairs of eyes on her, Wolverine entering just in time to hear Rogue's statement. "The theif? We worked together. Once." Ravyn stated vaguely.

Rogue crossed her arms and looked at Ravyn curiously. "And?"

"He was nice. Very gentlemanly," the girl lied. She could tell that Rogue, as well as everyone else, weren't buying into her cheap, lazy attempt at a lie. She spoke, anxious to ruin Remy's reputation. "He needed help stealing this artifact."

"Artifact? What was it?" Kitty asked skeptically.

"It is not part of my job to ask my clients questions." She spit out the word 'clients' with disdain. "All I knew was that I was to kill whoever got in his way… quietly. I did my side of the job. He got whatever it was he wanted and promptly left me to find my own way out. Needless to say, I didn't get paid."

"And you never saw him again?" Evan asked.

A wry smile appeared on the assassin's face. "Oh no. I see him now and then. Incognito. He's smart. I'll give him that. Keeps dodging my attempts to kill him."

Rogue looked unbelievingly at Ravyn. "He's not like that."

Ravyn couldn't meet Rogue's piercing stare. She switched the subject of her gaze from Rogue to Logan, who stared at her, unreadable as always.

He cleared his voice. "Enough talking. Everyone in the room," he said gruffly.

"Scott isn't coming?" Evan asked.

"He's with Jean." Logan said, bluntly, leaving the teenagers to draw their own conclusions.

Ravyn entered the danger room to find menacing pincer claws, guns and pointed walls hanging from the ceiling. She took a step back, suddenly intimidated and unsure of herself. When she was an assassin, she always had the upper hand. She always had a well thought out plan and the element of surprise. She never had to wait for something to happen; she was the one who made a scene.

She saw the silhouette of Logan in a glass control room above her. She continuously shifted her weight from one foot to another, getting antsier as each second passed. Her companions were as calm as they were waiting in the hall, doing stretches and waiting for the test to start.

They didn't have to wait long before one of the guns went off, shooting the ground where Ravyn's companions were, signaling the start of the session.

Ravyn ran. It had always been repeated to her that if and when she was in danger, only one life counted: her own. She heard gunshots and the movement of machinery behind her, dropping to the floor just as a pincer claw flew overhead. Screaming out an expletive, she dove behind some steel boxes. Her more experienced companions flew across the room, neatly dodging and deflecting oncoming attacks.

It wasn't long before she heard Kurt teleport beside her. Ravyn stared at him defiantly. She must have looked like a coward; hiding behind boxes instead of putting up a fight. Kurt didn't say anything to her. He locked eyes with her and stretched out his hand.

"Fine." In one fluid motion, Ravyn got to her feet and grabbed the demon's three-fingered hand. She heard the familiar gunshot and felt as though she was being stretched then compressed back into shape. Opening her eyes, she found herself at the center of the danger room. Immediately she was forced to slide across the floor, dodging bullets. Through the corner of her eye, she saw Kurt leap in the opposite direction, dodging the same shots.

Duck… kick, slide, dodge… jump. A pincer claw caught her cheek, producing a deep cut. Ravyn smiled wryly as the cut instantly healed itself. The session tested her reflexes and accuracy, while keeping her on her toes by threatening her life. It was like a weird, sick, machinated dance.

She had just gotten more confident with herself in the test when Spike collided with her, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. Seizing the chance, two pincer claws headed straight for them. Evan shot out a spike, destroying one of them. Ravyn staggered to her feet just in time to watch the claw go straight through her torso.

Kitty phased completely out of the ground, her hand tightly grasping Ravyn's arm. She never had imagined being the first to step forward and make amends with her new classmate, but, when she stopped to think, she found herself wanting to know more about the girl's mysterious past and her true intentions at the school. "I got you're back. You got mine?" She didn't wait for an answer; she flew back into the frey, expertly phasing through anything in her path.

Ravyn stared in shock at her retreating figure. She was shaken back into her senses by Evan, who quickly dragged her behind some crates. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Fine." She answered quickly, staring at Evan's piercing gaze.

Evan took a quick look around the danger room. Smoke was beginning to rise from the machines as they moved faster and emitted deadlier shots. He saw his friends desperately running for cover. Rogue leaped over the crates and landed clumsily between Ravyn and Evan.

"The hell is wrong with Logan? It must be level 10 out there." Rogue said. The three mutants felt bullet shells hit the other side of the crates.

Ravyn looked up at the control room above her. Through the smoke, she made out the silhouette of Logan, leaving the control room in a hurry. Abandoning them. Ravyn whispered a chain of foul names under her breath.

The bullets were slowly eating away their cover. Ravyn considered making a run for it, relying on her mutant ability to keep her alive, but, for some reason she couldn't mentally convince herself to leave the two mutants trapped with her. She needed them. They seemed to know the tricks of the danger room well. Her hands clenched in frustration. In the assin world, it was a sin to become soft.

Rogue interrupted her interior battle by speaking. "We have to make a run for it. There is a wall about fifty feet in front of us. If we could just reach it…"

Evan took a peek over the crates. The machines answered by increasing their rate of fire. "We can make it. I'll try to take out the guns."

Ravyn pressed herself closer to Rogue, keeping her side protected. Rogue took her place as the leader. "Alright. On three. One… two… Three!"

They charged.

* * *

><p><em>Two minutes earlier…<em>

Everything went haywire. Logan couldn't explain it. One second, the machine was on level 5 and then, one second later, all hell broke loose. The lights in the control room dimmed and blinked and, once it stopped, smoke began to rise from the machines in the control room. He had tried to get the machine back under control or turn it off, but nothing responded to him.

Letting his anger get the better of him he slashed into the wall of the control room. It was then that he happened to glance down into the danger room. Bullets were ricocheting crazily off the walls of the danger room. The smoke from the machines clouded his vision on his students. Following a flash of blue fur, he saw Kurt and Kitty running the length of the danger room, using both of their powers to avoid the weapons that the level 10 danger room threw at them. Shouting curses, Logan ran out of the room to manually open the door to the danger room. He knew that the professor as well as Scott were alerted about their situation, but he couldn't stand to wait for them as five teenagers were left alone to face the danger room.

He was panting heavily when he reached the door. He grabbed the notch at the door and attempted to slide the door open. It wouldn't budge. Logan wasn't about to play nice with a door. His claws grew from his knuckles and he plunged them into the door. The door soon became permanently marked with deep claw marks. He kept throwing attacks at the door until it finally crumbled into an unrecognizable ball of metal. Smoke was all he saw in the room; gunshots all he heard.

"Logan, what hap-" Scott looked in shock at Logan, sweat beading on his arms and face, his face twisted in an angry mask.

"I'm getting them out."

* * *

><p>They charged.<p>

Ravyn could barely see three feet in front of her. Her eyes stung from the smoke and tears blurred her vision. She heard Rogue shout and followed her voice. A gun fell, only a few inches away from crushing her underneath its weight. Imbedded in the gun was a bone spike. It didn't take long for Ravyn to realize that she was separated from her teammates, deprived of most of her sight, and slowly choking to death from the smoke.

She screamed Evans name; the only name she could remember. She kept running, wondering how many times she already had been shot. To both her right and left she heard people calling her name. Whether she was imagining it or not, she didn't know. She ignored them.

A shout directly in front of her roused her from her panicked state. She saw a motionless figure in front of her. She sprinted. She needed someone to help her find a way out of the cursed room.

Stumbling onto the body, she felt spikes. Evan. He had multiple wounds to his torso and was losing blood quickly. She felt a bullet hit her directly in her back, but only felt the pain for a second. Her healing power was getting stronger. Placing her hands on Evan's sweaty face, she forced him to face her. "Evan. Evan, look at me! God damn it!" She slapped him hard across the face. Evan's eyes flung themselves open, and for one, solitary moment, their eyes met.

Ravyn felt a burning sensation along her torso and lower back, much like the feeling that she experienced while healing Rogue. She screamed out in pain, balling her hands up into fists and closing her eyes tightly. She felt another bullet land close to her neck and smelled the blood all around her. As well as healing him, she was also shielding Evan from a gun attack.

She stood up, still feeling the burning pain in her torso, she dragged Evan across the floor. He looked dead, but at least he wasn't bleeding anymore. She had only moved a few feet when she heard a soft, muffled gunshot and felt fur brush her arm.

Kurt grabbed Ravyn around the waist while his tail wrapped itself under Evan's armpits. Ravyn buried her head into Kurt's shoulder and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. For a split second before they teleported, Ravyn felt unbelievably calm. She felt as though, even though she was in the middle of flying shrapnel and bullets, nothing could harm her. For the first time since she was a little girl, she felt fully protected. Nothing could hurt her.

Kurt, Ravyn and Evan reappeared in the hallway that they had spoken in only fifteen minutes earlier. Scott immediately ran towards them, relieving them of Evan. As he passed, Evan grabbed Ravyn's shoulder tightly. "Hey… Thanks" he choked out.

Ravyn didn't answer him. Her attention was on the tall demon, she was still clutching. She willed her arms to let him go, and, reluctantly, they complied. She noticed that Kurt was looking at her strangely and quickly turned away.

Scott was shouting over his shoulder as he rounded the corner. "The professor is disconnecting the danger room. Logan is looking for Kitty and Rogue!"

As if summoned, Logan barged through the remains of the doorway, Rogue slung across his shoulders. Ravyn noticed that, besides a blow to her head and a bloody ankle, she looked unharmed.

"Where's Kitty?" Kurt asked. Logan silently shook his head. Both he and Ravyn turned to peek through the doorway of the danger room. The visibility in the room had gone down to zero, and the faint sound of a few guns firing was all they heard.

"I'm going back in." Kurt stated, preparing to teleport.

"No, you won't," Ravyn stepped between Kurt and the doorway. "You'll get shot within seconds in that room. I'll go." The last two words slipped out her mouth before she could stop them.

Goosebumps travelled up Ravyn's back and arms as Kurt's eyes met hers. "I don't care. I need to find-"

Logan stopped Kurt before he could teleport, pushing him against the wall. "No! She's right. Stay here with Rogue. We'll find her."

Kurt reluctantly nodded.

Logan turned to Ravyn, "You ready, kid?"

Ravyn didn't answer. She was terrified. For all she knew, her power might stop working as soon as she re-entered the danger room. Logan put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Let's go." With that, they both took off running back into the danger room.

* * *

><p>Professor Charles Xavier couldn't understand it. The machine wasn't responding to any button he pressed, yet it kept shooting at anything that moved as if it was being controlled by something else. He tried to shut off the entire system; turn off the power for the mansion, but all that popped up onto his screen were errors and warnings.<p>

This was an attack. He knew that much, but he couldn't figure out who did it and how they got past the mansion's defenses. "Scott, is everyone out of the room?"

He didn't have to wait long before he heard Scott's voice in his head. "Kitty's still missing. Logan and the new girl went back inside."

The Professor feverishly worked on turning off the systems. He had no doubt that Logan, as experienced as he was, would be fine. He was worried for Kitty and the new girl: Kitty because she was lost somewhere in the gigantic danger room and the new girl because neither he nor she knew the extent of her power. She was a young mutant; barely capable of controlling her ability.

The professor was so absorbed in his work, he didn't notice someone entering the control room until he heard a female voice.

"Hello there, Xavier."


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey, Everyone! Here is the ninth chapter! Fist off, I apologize for the shortness of the chapter. I will be honest, I am not sure where this story is going, but, as long as you keep reading, I will keep writing. Sometime this month or next month, I will be editing the past chapters. It will just be some cleaning up of the typos and grammatical errors. I also want to make sure the timing of the whole story is realistic, so the time setting of this story may change. So, yeah, that will be all. Read on.**

**Disclaimer: So... I was told to write one of these. I do not own X-men: Evo. I am not that awesome.**

9.

"Kitty!" Ravyn screamed, dodging a fresh shower of bullets. She had already been shot uncountable times, each time the pain was lesser than the one before it, giving the inexperienced mutant more confidence. She knew that if she stopped moving for a second, her body would be riddled with holes, which was not the way she wanted to check the strength of her ability.

"Kitty!" She shouted again, barely hearing her own voice over the sounds of bullets and crushing metal. She suspected that Wolverine was taking out his anger and frustration on the machines.

"Help! Somebody, help!" She heard a faint, but frantic voice over to her left. Blindly running towards the voice, Ravyn slammed into a large piece of machinery, which was torn down from the ceiling by an incredible force

"Kitty? Kitty, can you hear me?"

"Over here!"

Ravyn walked the circumference of the machine before finding Kitty, her leg tangled with the mangled mess of the machine. She was sitting up, leaning her head against the machine, trying to stem the wound in her leg.

"Oh, god… Logan! I found her!" Ravyn slid towards Kitty.

Kitty clutched Ravyn's hand and squeezed hard. "Heal…!"

Ravyn wriggled her hand out of Kitty's grasp. "I can't." Kitty looked at her with pain and anger. "Kitty, your leg is under metal!" Ravyn took a glance around her. Logan was nowhere in sight, which meant he wasn't a few inches in front of her. "Logan!"

No answer.

Ravyn couldn't wait for him. She threw her weight against the machine, pushing it up at an angle. Kitty yelled in pain as part of the machine's weight shifted on her leg. Ravyn's muscles soon were strained from exertion, but she couldn't lift the machine high enough to free Kitty. "Can't you phase?"

"You don't think I tried?" Kitty screamed back. Bullets rained down over both of them and with the bullets came Logan.

Logan scanned the situation quickly, before pressing his full weight against the machine, lifting the machine higher. Kitty screamed again as the weight of the machine was completely lifted from her mangled foot.

"Get her out." Logan grunted. As Ravyn left her post beside him, he momentarily lost his footing. The full weight of the machine was laid on his back.

Ravyn grabbed Kitty's hands and pulled. Kitty cried out in pain, before slipping back into a fit of sobs. A bunch of wires were tangled up with Kitty's leg in the center of the knot. "I'm hurting her!" The look Logan gave her was one of sheer anger. His entire body shook from exertion. He tried to speak, but nothing came out.

Before Ravyn really knew what she was doing, she found herself partly underneath the machine, twisting the wires off Kitty's blood stained leg. Why? That word rang through her head like a siren. Why was she risking her life for someone she barely knew and didn't even like? Two weeks ago she would have run away from the situation unless she was paid, and, if she was, she would have lodged a bullet into both Logan and Kitty's foreheads minutes ago.

Logan was shaking uncontrollably when the mangled mess of machinery lowered considerably, pressing gently against Ravyn's back. "Hurry up… kid."

* * *

><p><em>"Hello there, Xavier."<em>

The Professor didn't have to turn around to recognize the voice of the speaker. "Mystique." He turned to find the blue-skinned readhead staring at him with two, unblinking white eyes. Her physique was tall and thin; her fingers long and slender. She walked purposefully to his side.

"Mystique, stop this. Now." The Professor's voice was low and gruff.

"I will. Once you give me information about your newest student." She stared at the Professor's piercing gaze. "That is all I want. And this," Mystique held up a small box with a small button on it. "Will be yours."

The Professor heard a long scream, undoubtedly from Kitty, float up to the control room from the hell bellow them. "What do you want to know?"

Mystique twirled the small box lazily in her fingers. She spoke slowly, drawing out every syllable she spoke. "It's strange. Such a small device could cause so much pain." Another scream from below wafted upwards.

"Mystique..." The professor said, warningly, his hands rising to his temples. It would be a longer, harder, process, but he needed to get the device out of the blue-skinned girl's hands.

Mystique got into a fighter stance, but before she could move, she was blindsided by a red laser. She flew across the room, dropping the remote in the process.

Scott stood in the doorway of the control room. His hand on his special glasses. Not taking his eyes off the cowering blue mutant, he bent over and picked up the remote. "You lose, Mystique," He stated before pressing the button. They all heard a humming sound, as if a generator was turning itself on. The meters in the control room all fell as the power was all turned off. The lights remained on.

Mystique smiled. Something about her smile bothered the professor. It was as if she was one step ahead of the; as if she wanted them to press the button. "We'll see." With those words, Mystiqueshape morphed into that of a raven, which quickly flew out of the room. Even though he knew his efforts would be in vain, Scott chased after the shapeshifter.

The Professor looked out the window of the control room. The room was eerily silent. The smoke was too dense to see any sign of the three mutants trapped below.

* * *

><p>Ravyn's fingers flew around the machine, working frantically to untangle Kitty's leg. "Done!" she screamed triumphantly. Hooking her arms around Kitty's limp body, she pulled the girl out from under the wreckage. Logan dropped the machine immediately after Kitty's ankle cleared the edge of the machine. He dropped to his knees, grunting as he took huge gulps of air. His head was spinning and his muscles ached. His ears rang louder than the sounds around him. It was then that he realized that the room was silent.<p>

Ravyn was alive with energy. "Kitty, look at me." She focused hard on the mutant's wounds and braced herself for the waves of pain. Instead of feeling pain, she felt numb; suddenly cold and fuzzy. Her eyes snapped open to find, Kitty, on the floor, her eyes peacefully closed. On the ground beneath her were cracks in the floor, in some foreign design. Before she had time to study the pattern, she was jerked upright by a large, muscular hand.

"Let's get out of here." Logan was sweating to the point that beads of sweat were transferred from his skin to Ravyn's just by touching her. Ravyn nodded, but Logan was too busy fixing Kitty on his shoulders to notice.

They didn't have to walk far before they heard footsteps pounding the ground and their name's being called. Kurt materialized in front of them. "Kitty!" he gasped, hurrying over to his friend.

"She's fine." Logan grunted uncomfortably under her weight before handing her over to Kurt. "Just get her to the infirmary now." Kurt held Kitty gently in his arms. Ravyn felt a faint pang of jealousy.

Kurt didn't answer and promptly disappeared, leaving behind a soft popping noise, smoke, and the smell of sulfur. Once he disappeared, Logan and Ravyn saw light streaming out the open doorway ahead of them. They were safe.

Ravyn and Logan entered the silent hallway in an equally silent manner. Ravyn suddenly felt tired and sick, and, she began to think about her soft bed waiting for her.

Logan stopped her with his voice. "Wait. Ravyn."

Ravyn. Not 'kid'. Ravyn.

"Yeah?"

His eyes said it all. They glowed with pride and satisfaction. He must have noticed that Ravyn was grinning like a drunken idiot at him because his face immediately became emotionless.

"Uh… Good job back there, kid."

Ravyn nodded and turned away from him, still grinning. She was just happy to be alive. She went through hell twice and was still breathing. The thought of it made her giddy. She hurried to her room and fell on her bed. She rubbed her eyes and focused on the breeze drifting over to her from her open window.

"Great job, _traitor._"

Ravyn shot back up into a sitting position and scanned the room. Everything was in its right places; nothing was disturbed. Nothing moved except for the curtains, blown gently by the chilling wind. She could find anyone in her room. A chill went up Ravyn's spine.

She recognized the voice.


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi! So, editing the previous chapters didn't take as long a time as I thought, so those are up now. Please check them out! If there are still typos and grammatical errors, please let me know. Thanks!**

****Disclaimer: So... I was told to write one of these. I do not own X-men: Evo. I am not that awesome.****

10.

Ravyn stood in the center of the danger room. Everything seemed fixed up and back to its clean state. She wasn't sure why she was in the room or how she even got into it. She slowly walked around the room, trying to gather up her muddled thoughts. The only light in the danger room was a perfect circle in the very center of the room. She saw a shadow move in close to her side and spun around.

Nothing.

It was then when she heard the sound of light footsteps hitting the concrete floor. She knew she wasn't alone in the room, but still felt safe. She closed her eyes, and gently pressed her ear to the ground. She forced her mind to concentrate on the footsteps and the puzzle pieces came together in her mind.

There were two distinct footsteps, which meant there were two people inside the room with her. The footsteps sounds were close together, hinting that the people running were short. Heavy, high pitched gasping for air suggested that the two people were running for a long time and were running from something.

Ravyn's eyes slowly opened and she glanced around the room. The sound of the footsteps had undoubtedly came from inside the danger room and reverberated within the metal walls. Ravyn's hand subconsciously felt her lower back until it touched the cool metal of her gun. She took a deep breath and returned to the circle of light.

As soon as she entered into the light, she heard it. A high pitched, childlike giggle. Ravyn froze, sweat forming on the back of her neck as a chill ran down her and back up. She had undoubtedly heard that giggle so many times before.

"Ravyn?" The ex-assassin called out into the darkness. The footsteps stopped. "Ravyn!" She called out more urgently. She stayed in the circle of light, trying to peer through the endless darkness that surrounded her.

A wet hand grasped the girl's shoulder and spun her around. Her attacker was a heavy built male. His clothes and body were soaked with water and blood, which seemed to all come from the long gash he had on his throat. His body was swollen to the point of recognition. It was as if he had spent days underwater and had just dragged himself out of a river. Chaz.

The girl stared stunned at her visitor from beyond the grave. She tried to form a cohesive sentence and failed. Chaz pulled her close to him into a forced embrace. The putrid scent of death and rotting flesh filled her nostrils. His mouth was against her ear when he mumbled, "He's looking for them…" His voice sounded gargled and slurred. "He'll find them… and you."

"No!" the girl grunted out, her eyes going wide. She pressed the barrel of her gun to Chaz's heaving flesh and pulled the trigger. She heard the gunshot and saw Chaz disappear before her eyes. Even though the walking corpse was gone, the smell of death still lingered.

"Ravyn! It's not funny! Where are you!" She spoke frantically. The girl looked around, searching for her sister. The sounds of footsteps began to bounce off the metal walls again. The girl ran back into the darkness, calling out her sister's name.

She stopped. The darkness seemed to go on endlessly, and the light that she had so relied on flickered and went out. She held her head as she continued to search. She was going crazy. Her breaths quickened and her hand trembled uncontrollably.

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped again and she heard her name behind her. Not her nickname or alias; the name her mother gave her when she was born. She slowly turned. Illuminated by another light, a boy stood. He had curly blonde hair and large innocent hazel eyes. He wore baggy tan pants and a black t-shirt that was two sizes too big for his skinny frame.

"Patrick." Tears rolled down the girl's cheeks as she buried her head in his tiny shoulder, embracing him.

"He's got Ravyn. He's coming for you now." Something in his voice sent chills continuously down the girl's spine. He didn't react to her embrace. He stood where she found him, expressionless and still.

"What are you talking about? You're…" The girl thought about the situation. How did her younger brother get into the institute? How did a man she knew to be dead come back to give her a message? How did she get into the danger room? "You're not real. I'm dreaming." She placed her hands on either side of her head, willing herself to wake up.

Her brother smiled. "You're a traitor."

"I'm not." Her hand twitched towards her gun.

"Traitor."

"No!" She pulled out her gun and aimed it at her brother's forehead. The gunshot deafened her.

Ravyn sat up in bed covered with sweat. Her eyes were wide open and her legs trembled uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face. The branches from the tree outside her window scratched noisily against the glass, reasonably being the explanation for her awakening. She took three deep breaths, before checking the clock. The clock glared 1:30 in blood red numbers.

The girl rolled herself out of bed and pulled on a bathrobe. She knew that she wouldn't sleep after her nightmare and so, she headed to the kitchen.

Once there, she made a beeline for the refrigerator and pulled out one of Logan's beer. She didn't realized how much her body was shaking until she tried to take the beer cap off. Eventually succeeding, she headed to a cluster of chairs grouped around the kitchen table. She purposefully picked the chair that granted her an unobstructed view of the entire room and doorways.

She stayed there, wide eyed, staring at the dark shapes on the kitchen counters. She was on her second bottle of beer when someone entered the room. Oblivious to her stare, the shadow opened the refrigerator door. The light of the refrigerator door revealed Kurt, digging through the contents of the fridge before pulling out a soda bottle. As he turned, he caught a glimpse of the assassin.

He took a step back, caught off guard. "Ravyn! What are you doing?"

Ravyn tilted her beer towards him in response. She wasn't going to tell him about the strange experience she had the previous day. "I could ask you the same question."

"I stayed with Kitty until she woke up," Kurt took a seat beside Ravyn. The refrigerator door was closed, and the only light came from Kurt's golden eyes. "So I guess you couldn't sleep?"

She shuddered, thinking about her dream. "Yeah. You can guess that," she said, ending the conversation.

They were both silent, staring into the darkness together and drinking their beverages.

"Logan's gonna kill you." Kurt stated. He sounded tired, but Ravyn could hear him grinning beside her.

"Let him try. This is the only thing that's keeping me sane right now." She slid the beer in front of Kurt. "Here."

Kurt looked more amused than surprised. "Oh, no. I don't drink."

Ravyn smirked and took another sip of beer. "Really?" she asked, almost unbelievingly, "What are you? Religious or something?"

"Actually, yeah."

Ravyn turned to see two golden eyes gently but firmly gazing at her. The moonlight streaming into the kitchen from the window granted her a perfect silhouette of Kurt's demonic body. "Are you really?"

"Catholic."

Ravyn smiled at the irony. "That would explain your necklace."

"It's called a scapular."

"Necklace works, too." Kurt didn't answer her, but silently fingered the brown, leather rope he had tied around his neck. Ravyn continued. "I used to be Catholic. My mom actually enrolled me in Catholic schools, but… well, you know how it is. You grow up and realize..." Ravyn stopped herself. She was surprised with half of the things that came out of her mouth. Was she drunk already? She stared into her half-empty beer bottle. "Whatever. It's too late for me."

Kurt's three fingered hand, took the beer bottle out of her hand and moved it to the corner of the table, out of her reach. "It's never too late."

Ravyn laughed dryly. "Kurt, I don't remember the number of people I've killed. I doubt your God wants anything to do with me."

"Ravyn-"

"I really don't want to hear it." Ravyn reached over for her bottle, but Kurt snatched it away and held it at arm's length away from her. Ravyn never realized how muscular and long Kurt's arms were until that moment. His arm was pressed to her chest while the other one held her precious beer. Ravyn leaned against him and stretched out her arm, but barely grazing his wrist.

She sat back down in defeat, staring down at the floor. Kurt put the bottle down in its original place. "You are the strangest, most hardheaded girl I have ever met." Kurt leaned his head in his hands. The girl's shrewdness, along with his lack of sleep, was giving him a headache.

Even though Kurt's comment wasn't meant to hurt anyone, Ravyn felt unbelievably insulted. Her eyes flashed angrily in the darkness. "Well I'm sorry I can't be as ditzy and crazy as your girlfriend!" she muttered under her breath.

Something inside of Kurt snapped. Maybe he was at the end of his patience with Ravyn. Kitty was his most faithful friend in the institute and to hear someone insult her while she was sick in the infirmary was unacceptable.

Kurt turned to Ravyn. "What the hell is your problem? Look, I get it. You were robbed of a childhood and because of that, you're a hard ass. What do you think I went through before I came here?"

Ravyn was silent.

"I love every person in this house so much I would die for them. Especially Kitty… Maybe you should start thinking about changing your attitude towards the people who risked their lives to bring you here." Kurt stiffly rose to leave. Ravyn didn't raise her eyes from the floor.

He was about to leave the kitchen when Ravyn spoke. "It hurts like hell."

"What?" Kurt turned.

"To love people. They either die or leave. I'm not about to start 'loving' anyone." Ravyn said the last phrase as a kind of promise to herself. She wasn't crying, but she felt something die within her. She felt a foreign emptiness take its place in her stomach and her throat tightened to the point that she couldn't breathe.

Kurt sat back down beside her with a sigh. He didn't look at her when he spoke. "Well… I'm not gonna leave."

Ravyn's heart skipped a beat. "Shut up. I don't love you," she said, half-heartedly.

Kurt chuckled. He fount it hard to believe he had been yelling at the girl less than a minute ago. "Whatever you say, Ravyn."

Ravyn smiled. Something about his presence near her made her feel safe. She leaned against the corner of the wall. "Give me my beer back." Her spunk had returned.

Kurt handed her his soda.


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey everyone! First off, I set up my profile. I would suggest checking it out if you want to hear about how I got into writing. It tells the full story. Also, last night, I stayed up writing a pretty long chapter. I think it was chapter 13, and I am really excited to share it with you. Again, I apologize for the shortness of the chapters at the moment. I know that I get very upset when authors only upload a chapter that is less than two thousand words. But I still hope you enjoy!**

******Disclaimer: So... I was told to write one of these. I do not own X-men: Evo. I am not that awesome.******

11.

Ravyn didn't know that she had fallen asleep until she woke up. Her face was leaning against the wall, her body sprawled across two chairs. Her muscles felt tight and cramped. Ravyn blinked tiredly, trying to get her eyes to focus. She didn't get herself drunk last night, but she had managed to gain a dull ache in the back of her head.

The sun had just begun to rise, spilling its rays into the kitchen. By the look of the light, Ravyn guessed that it was around seven in the morning. She turned her head away from the window and felt a satisfying pop in her neck. Her eyes landed on a figure, sitting on the chair beside her, his upper body slumped on top of the table. Ravyn smiled. Kurt didn't leave her. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the ends of his scars that were peeking out from behind his plain white tee-shirt.

No. She pushed the idea of healing him to the back of her mind. She got up silently, careful not to wake him, and left the kitchen. Once she had left the room, she began stretching out her muscles and bones. She was about to climb the stairs to get back to her room, when she heard the faint buzz of a television. Following the noise, she found herself at the door of the common room. Inside, there were two couches on a soft, rugged floor. Around the couches were cheap, fold up chairs. Opposite the couches and chairs was a big, fast screen TV. Sitting on one of the couches was Scott. He seemed to be watching news clips of a big room with many well-dressed business men and women, who seemed to be arguing about some issue. Ravyn entered the room and sat comfortably on the other side of the couch.

"Morning," she muttered to Scott in an attempt to be friendly.

"Hey…" Scott paused. "Are you still going by Ravyn?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, Ravyn." Scott smiled at her halfheartedly before turning his attention back to the screen.

The screen switched from a picture of an old man, passionately giving a speech about an unknown subject to a close up of a woman who stared defiantly at him. Ravyn felt a strange déjà vu when she saw the woman's snow white hair and piercing grey eyes.

"Wait… isn't that-"

"Storm. Yes."

The camera panned to reveal the being who sat quietly and calmly beside Storm. A large, blue animal filled the chair beside the dark weather goddess. He was heavily built with large muscular hands and arms. He had blue fur covering his visible skin and two fangs protruding from his lip. He looked almost comical, sitting beside Storm in his suit and tie.

Scott noticed her shocked expression. "That's Beast. He used to teach here when the institute was actually… running. He left immediately after the last student was picked up by their parents."

"Is he Kurt's dad?"

"No." Scott said bluntly. He raised the volume of the television.

"It is a danger to have mutants in our communities! They prowl about unchecked and unchallenged. It is a fact that crime rates are higher in the areas that mutants are known to live. We cannot have them in our communities until we know more about what they are. It is necessary for every mutant to be registered and their abilities thoroughly studied before even thinking about having them attend the same public schools that we send our children to!" The elderly man exploded before taking a seat. Throughout his speech, Storm continued to stare at him with a hardened expression.

A few more statements were given before the court convened and the people sitting at the desks stood up and began to talk with one another, taking care not to get close to the two mutants.

Scott lowered the volume and rubbed his eyes tiredly behind his glasses. "And at any moment a mob of people with torches and pitchforks could attack the institute."

"There are enough mutants to fight back. Why do you let people walk all over you?"

Scott chuckled wryly. "Typical assassin response. You don't think that would create a war? More innocent people would get hurt."

Ravyn's mouth was a tight line. She bit back the words she wished she could say.

Scott turned off the television and turned his body to look at Ravyn. "What?"

"Your glasses don't protect you from everyone."

Even though he had glasses, Ravyn could tell he was rolling his eyes at her. Scott Summers laughed. "What, do you have another hidden talent?"

"I can read between the lines. I know for a fact that you hate me. Wait, no. You're too much of a good guy to hate someone. You greatly dislike me. You also wish you didn't have to wear your stupid glasses all the time, but above all-" Ravyn's voice dropped to a low whisper, "You wish to look into Jean's eyes with your own without blasting her head off. You wish you weren't a mutant. Am I right?"

Scott smirked, surprising the younger girl. He spoke calmly. "Aren't you the little Sherlock Holmes. Here's the thing. You're reading between the lines is all what they seem: guesses. You think you know all about a person just by looking at them when in fact, you see what you want to see."

Scott glanced triumphantly at Ravyn when she sighed and turned her attention back to the television. The courtroom was still on break; the people walked around, seemingly aimlessly. Her silence bothered Scott, who was used to seeing her fight back with an animalistic passion. "Something wrong?"

Ravyn smirked halfheartedly. "You didn't answer my question. Let me rephrase: Would you take a cure if it came around?"

Scott didn't have to think. "Yes." He paused, and then added, "Wouldn't you?"

"No." She met Scott's stare, and laughed. The eerie sound echoed throughout the mansion. "Look. Nothing can kill me. Why would I want to get rid of that?"

"I wouldn't get too cocky. People are very creative in their methods of killing."

Ravyn stood. The rising sun reflected off her flawless skin. "When you think of something, let me know. Otherwise, I have a right to be unbreakable."

"Oh, everyone had a breaking point. One light push and the person can collapse." Ravyn stared at Scott skeptically. She didn't know how much his words would mean to her in the future.

It didn't take long before Ravyn left Scott Summers and exited the mansion. She sat motionless on the steps. The sun had peaked the mountains, casting a luminous glow on the dead grass and bare trees of autumn. The chill bit through her thin t-shirt and her breaths came out in thin wisps of smoke.

Unexpectedly, Ravyn whipped her head to her left, towards a clump of bushes and trees clumped beside the stairs. "Who's there?" She thought she heard breathing.

She placed her hand behind the hem of her pants, feeling the warm, familiar steel of her gun. She had remembered to take it with her when she left her room. She reached out her hand to pull the tangled branches aside.

"Ravyn?"

Ravyn jumped at the sound of the voice and turned to see Evan peering quizzically at her, his head peeking out from the door of the mansion.

Ravyn's hand, which was mere centimeters from the bushes, fell to her side. "Shouldn't you be in the infirmary?" She asked, breathing heavily from the cold and surprise.

"I'm fine… Thanks to you." Ravyn didn't respond to him, glancing causelessly at the bushes behind her. Evan continued. "I saw you through the window. What're you doing?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired, I guess." Ravyn gently pushed past Evan to get through the mansion door.

Evan stared at the girl as she entered the mansion. It must have been ten degrees outside. "You are so unbelievably strange."

Ravyn turned and smiled. "And you're not?"

Evan returned her smile and looked at the floor. "I was convinced you were leaving."

"Is that what you want?" Ravyn took a seat on the winding mansion stairs. Evan followed, sighing loudly as he sat beside her.

Evan shrugged. "Well, you don't seem to like it here. You're free from the assassins, so it makes sense if you want to be free from us, too." Ravyn clutched her hands tightly, keeping her eyes on the tile floor. Evan continued slowly. "But… I just got used to you." He smiled and playfully nudged her. "And besides, I still haven't perfected the art of sharpshooting."

Ravyn made a sound that was a cross between a sigh and a laugh. "I don't know what I want to do." She caught Evan's eyes. "But if I leave, I'll be sure to say 'bye'."

"You'd better." Evan gently pushed her face away from his, breaking their eye contact. For the first time, Ravyn felt the familiar pressure created by her gun uncomfortable. She felt safe; the same feeling she had felt when Kurt held her in the Danger Room returned. She let her guard down and nothing happened: no explosion, no chains.

So relaxed was she, that she failed to notice a dark figure slip from the bushes, outside the mansion.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hi, eveyone! Good news and bad news. The good news is my chapters that I am writing are getting longer. The bad news is that I am at a writer's block and between school, theatre, family, and friends, I haven't had much time to sit down and write for more than ten minutes a day. I would like to thank all of the people who reviewed. It really helps me get through writer's blocks. It also shows me that people actually read this fanfic. :) Anyways, go ahead and read Chapter 12, and I hope you enjoy it.**

******Disclaimer: So... I was told to write one of these. I do not own X-men: Evo. I am not that awesome.******

12.

Two months. Two months passed without any big incident. December brought with it a chilling cold and gave Bayville a soft blanket of snow.

Within the two months, Ravyn liked to think that she had officially been welcomed into the X-men. She was with them as they silently stared at the TV screen in shock on Thanksgiving Day, as the president of the United States declared that a bill had been passed that required every mutant to register themselves to the town hall. In addition, the mutants had to agree to have tests done to them in order to "understand their mutilation" better. She remembered seeing Logan storm off; knocking over a vase on his way out, as Kitty bravely fought back tears.

She was with them as they slowly rebuilt the danger room. She was able to share a comfortable stony silence with Rogue, who dealt with her emotions in a similar manner to Ravyn. Her arm muscles noticeably grew during the month and a half they spent cleaning and rebuilding the danger room.

She was with them when they fought off every anti-mutant protest on the lawn of the Xavier Institute. For a long time, she tried to build up a wall, like Kurt and the Professor had to the profanities that were shouted to them by the mobs. She finally gave up and resorted to beating the stuffing out of the red punching bag until her knuckles bled and healed up again. One time, Jean had to use her powers to forcibly remove her from the punching bag. She would often see Scott in the gym, joining her in their prospective vents for their frustrations. Sweat usually dripped unattractively down his face to frm a small puddle beneath him.

It was hard and horribly slow work for Logan, but he was able to get the assassin to understand her powers and how to safely use them. Many days were ended with Logan screaming at a frustrated Ravyn, who would bite her tongue 'til it bled. As soon as the Danger Room was rebuilt, he demanded that every X-man would test it out. Ravyn reluctantly agreed, knowing that she didn't really have a choice. The session was much easier than her first, since she knew how to use her abilities and the machines weren't going haywire on the professor.

In those two months, Ravyn felt safe and happy and, because of that, many things changed. She didn't spend her time perpetually noticing things about her teammates or the mansion. She stopped trying to prove things to them and test her powers in unorthodox ways. A bigger change she made was actually trying to have conversations with the x-men. She let her guard down with most of them, especially Evan. She had successfully taught him how to shoot a gun after many angry words and breakdowns. Her eyes began to hold some light in them when she smiled and laughed with Kitty and Jean as well as when she held a mutually-enjoyed silence with Rogue.

She learned to trust people again, leaving behind almost everything her training as an assassin had taught her. The only thing she held onto with a tight grasp was her gun, which she still kept, hidden underneath her clothing. Kurt often noticed her standing alone, a thoughtful smile gracing her face, as she traced its outline through her shirt. He also noticed that her hand would twitch towards it every time she felt angry or nervous.

"You miss it, don't you?" He had once asked her as they both sat on the steps of the mansion, silently sipping Jean's homemade hot chocolate. They rarely went outside the mansion grounds to get groceries anymore. Ravyn looked at him sideways, looking up from a magazine Kitty had loaned her. Kurt could tell that she wasn't interested in its girlish contents.

"Killing people? No." Her eyes immediately lost their light and her smile left her face.

Kurt stopped himself from speaking. He found himself staring at the pre-X-man Ravyn. Her face was completely unreadable.

He was thankful when she broke her gaze at him and pretended to read the magazine. They were silent for a few moments, before Ravyn broke the silence.

"I do miss the adrenaline. All the excitement and danger… was… I guess I'm not a peace loving girl." Just as suddenly as she became the bloodthirsty assassin, she changed back into Ravyn, the mutant. Smiling gently at him, she stretched out her hand to help him up, before re-entering the mansion.

There were still many things that Ravyn refused to tell anyone, even the Professor. No one knew anything about her past. As soon as she was asked to share stories about her family, she bit her lip and mumbled that she had no interesting stories about them. Everyone did know, however, that Rogue knew more about Ravyn's family than anyone else, having grasped some of her memories when she had touched her. More than once, the professor found them talking in low tones that would fade away every time someone passed them by.

The professor had thought that he could completely change Ravyn from the assassin she was to a girl who could expertly control her emotions and powers if he had five months to help her. He never had enough time.

"Could all X-men meet in the hall." The professor's voice rang through the intercoms in the mansion at five in the morning.

Ravyn, her eyes still blinking away the last remnants of sleep, met her companions sprinting away from the hall. Ravyn grabbed Evan's collar as he ran past her.

"What's going on?"

"You were late. Cerebro found a new mutant."

Ravyn ran alongside Evan. In his hands was his prized possession: his skateboard. "Where are we going?"

Up ahead her, Scott pushed open large doors. Evan pointed up. "The X-jet."

The sheer magnificence of the X-jet made Ravyn stop running to stare. The sleek, black jet was bigger than she had remembered when she was rescued by it after first meeting Kurt. The wings were slightly worn and bent back, a trait given to planes that could go at amazingly fast speeds. Quickly recovering, she followed the X-men onto the plane.

Logan took the front of the jet and strapped himself into the pilot's seat. Scott took his place in the seat at Logan's right. The rest found their seats at the back. Ravyn sat herself down beside Jean as Kurt teleported to the center of the jet. In his hands was a sandwich. He gave Logan a thumb up and sat beside Evan, who spoke to him in low angry tones.

"Where were you?" Jean asked as the X-jet started moving. Ravyn grasped her seatbelt nervously.

"I was late. What are we doing?"

"We are tracking down a new mutant. His name is Jimmy and he is ten years old. His ability has something to do with the mind. I have been trying to get in touch with him telepathically... but, no luck. He has brown eyes and blonde hair. He is small and is running around his town causing trouble and… and that's it."

Ravyn sat silently in her seat, excitement and the fear of flying making her motionless. Nevertheless, her mind was working at a breakneck speed. "Why is a ten-year-old running around his town alone? Where are his parents?"

Jean shrugged. "We can find them later. We just need to stop the confused child from hurting anyone."

Ravyn nodded, but she couldn't shake the bad feeling that she felt all over her body and mind. She couldn't help but think that they were headed for a trap.

It was only when the X-jet landed that Ravyn began to breathe normally again. She looked outside the window to find the sun completely visible above the mountains, casting a shimmering light on the recently fallen snow.

Logan left his place in the pilot's seat and faced the rest of the passengers. He tossed everyone an earpiece. Ravyn deftly placed it in her ear, remembering all of the missions where she was forced to do the same thing.

"Everyone stay in touch. And don't try to pull anything like what happened last time," he said, his eyes darting from Kurt to Ravyn.

Without saying another word, the passengers exited the x-jet, which had landed in a small clearing in the woods next to a main road. In the distance was a sign that read "Welcome to Canton". No one but Logan knew which state they were in.

Jean and Scott immediately ran off in different directions, signaling the start of the chase. Rogue stayed back with Ravyn while they watched Kurt teleport away from the clearing and Kitty phase through piles of snow, leaving no footprints in her wake. Evan trudged through the snow, looking for a place that would be safe enough to use his skateboard. Logan sniffed the air, before expertly jumping a fence and heading towards the sprawling town. Everyone was inconspicuously dressed in street clothes.

Rogue looked at Ravyn. "Will you be okay on your own?"

Ravyn nodded, knowing that Rogue didn't want to be stuck with anybody. Rogue left her, blending in with the nature as she darted in between a space of closely grown trees.

Instead of picking a direction to follow and hope for the best, Ravyn leaned gainst the X-jet. Why is there a boy running around town at five in the morning, causing trouble at the age of ten? Ravyn exhaled and watched the thick cloud of smoke emitted from her mouth disappear. It was cold; too cold for some child to be outside for longer than thirty minutes without beginning to freeze. He must have some source of warmth, and, since his mutant ability had to do with something mental and not fire, he had to have someone or something keeping warm. Also, a ten year old boy, no matter how angry, doesn't just randomly wake up and attack the innocent by using something as scary as a mutant ability. Why is he doing this? How is he doing this? Where is he now?

She didn't know how long she stood in the snow, pondering the unknown facts about the mission. She zoned out from the rest of the world. She heard the voices of her teammates through her earpiece, but she was so concentrated on her thoughts. She only heard their tone of voice; not what they were saying.

Ravyn placed her hands on her head to clear it, but couldn't. Someone must be helping the boy, but why? Why would any parent allow his child outdoors at 5am to cause trouble?

She heard the faint crunch of snow and slid into the shadows underneath the x-jet. The footsteps in the snow got closer. Ravyn spoke into her mouthpiece. "I have a visual on the kid. Meet me at the x-jet."

There was a long pause before she heard Logan's voice. "Wait for us." It sounded as if he was running.

"I can't." Ravyn said. By this time, the little boy was staring unblinkingly at her as he also stood still, also underneath the x-jet. The assassin's fingers twitched towards her gun.

The boy looked as if he hadn't slept in days. His steps were slightly wobbly and he had unnatural circles under his eyes. "Were you hiding from me?" he squeaked in a high-pitched voice, which reminded her how young he was.

"Look, kid." Ravyn said, before noticing that she sounded like Logan. "I need you to listen to me. You have an ability… like a superpower, and-"

She stopped when a man dressed in black came into view behind the small boy. "Do it, Jimmy." He reached out his hand to place on the small boy's shoulders.

"Jimmy," Ravyn's voice was calm and her facial expression was urgent. Her eyes were a dull brown. "Come here."

"These are the monsters I've been telling you about." The man placed his large hand heavily on Jimmy's shoulders.

"Get your hands off him!" Ravyn whipped out her gun, but hesitated to shoot the man's unshielded heart. The hesitation was enough time for the man to squeeze the boy's shoulder, signaling him to speak.

"The girl will put down her gun."

Ravyn felt an unseen force pull her entire arm to the ground. She tried to fight it, but couldn't. Against her will, her fingers opened up, releasing her gun from her grasp. The man in black picked it up. The only feature Ravyn caught of him was his short, white, beard. Ravyn stared in fascinated horror. She heard the boy start crying, murmuring the words "I'm sorry" over and over again.

Ravyn felt the force lift off her hand. Quickly picking herself off the ground, she hurled herself at the man in black.

"The girl will not hurt us."

Ravyn felt a rush of air hit her square in the chest as she felt her body being lifted off the ground by an unknown force. Her fingers were mere inches away from the man's collar when she was thrown back against the x-jet. Her wrists, waist, and neck felt as though they were magnetized to the x-jet. Ravyn struggled and writhed against her invisible restraints.

The man in black took his place beside the little boy. Tears flowed unchecked down the smaller boy's face, his tired eyes wide open with shock and confusion at the power he had on the girl.

"Good job, Jimmy." The man pulled out a large silver gun out from under his black trenchcoat. It was larger than Ravyn's gun, which lay abandoned at the man's feet. Instead of shooting a bullet, the tip of a dart, wet all over with some dark blue slime, peeked out of the gun. At the butt of the gun, a see-through bottle of a slimy blue liquid sloshed around.

Finding that struggling was useless, Ravyn stopped moving and locked eyes with the boy. "Jimmy, please listen to me. Whatever he told you is wrong. What he wants you to do is wrong. You don't have to do this!" she pleaded with the boy.

The man lowered the gun and laughed. "Go on, Jimmy. Who do you trust? Me or this mutant bitch?"

For a short moment, the boy's eyes showed the innocence he was robbed of. He wiped the tears from his eyes. "I want my mommy back."

The man lightly tapped the boy's cheek, but didn't answer. Turning back to Ravyn, he raised the gun, aiming at her exposed skin at her neck. He pulled the trigger.

Ravyn say the thin dart zip towards her and felt it break the skin at her neck. She felt a cold sensation spread from the puncture wound to her whole body. She closed her eyes and braced herself to start healing. She wouldn't let herself die. Not to this.


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey, everyone! Welcome to Chapter 13. I have never considered myself good at writing action scenes so your feedback would be very much appreciated. Keep reading, and I'll keep posting.**

********Disclaimer: So... I was told to write one of these. I do not own X-men: Evo. I am not that awesome.********

13.

Evan sensed that something was wrong the minute he set foot into Canton. Usually, at this time, there would be the busy morning rush as people hurried to get to their jobs. There would be sounds of people talking on their cellphones and cars honking as they speeded down the street.

But, instead, the town was silent and empty. There was no trace of life in Canton. Evan skateboarded down the street, his heart pounding. What kind of power did this new mutant have that the whole town was forced to evacuate? He spoke into his intercom. "Anyone else freaked?"

Immediately, he heard Kitty agree with him. Kurt and Rogue checked into the conversation, stating that they haven't seen anyone yet. He heard nothing from Jean and Scott.

Evan skateboarded to Logan, who had appeared at the end of the street. "Where is everyone?"

Logan sniffed the air, his claws protruding out of his hands. "They're here, all right. We're being watched." Logan subtly tilted his head to the building to his right. Evan took a quick glance upwards and caught sight of the figure of a man. He stared down at the two mutants with a fearless expression. Evan wished that he had Ravyn beside him. He knew that in one quick glance, she could tell him how old he was, where he grew up, and what his occupation could be.

Logan strode to the door of the building. He was about to touch the doorknob when Evan saw the man lift his fingers, giving a signal to unseen companions. What the signal meant, Evan couldn't tell, but alarm bells went off within his head. "Logan, no!" Evan shouted.

Dull sounds of metal being propped against wood sounded throughout the town as guns emerged from every building in the area. Logan backed away from the door and stared pointedly at the man in the window. Every window now had at least one man with a gun. They all wore the same camouflage uniform, like the ones that soldiers would wear, but they lacked the customary "U.S. Army" badge stitched onto the breast of the uniform.

Through his earpiece, Evan heard his friends all talk at once; asking for directions. What do they want? Should they use their powers? If a fight should break out, should they abort the mission? Of all the voices, the only one Evan didn't hear was Ravyn's. He sighed, his mind leaving the situation at hand. It was always her. He certainly liked the girl, but she was like a bad luck charm. The man in the window stepped forward and addressed the two mutants below him. "Surrender and you will not be harmed. Resist and we will have no choice but to open fire."

"What do you want, bub?" Wolverine spoke up boldly, his adamantium blades drawn to full extent.

"The mutant organization known as 'the X men' refused to register themselves into the mutant database. We are here to make sure they do as the government commands." The man spoke in a nasally, arrogant, voice. He was dressed in a suit and carried himself in a way that made Evan think that he had never been to a rustic town like Canton before.

"Then why would they do something this dramatic?" Rogue's voice muttered through the earpiece.

"Logan, we can take them." Scott's voice also came in, eager for a fight after hearing mobs insult them from behind the mansion gate for months.

Logan chose to answer Rogue's question. "Because they don't want us just for registering," his fingers clenched into a fist and he spoke again through clenched teeth. "They want us for _testing_."

Evan felt the tension radiating from Logan's body. He watched the hair on Logan's arms and neck stand up. He felt adrenaline pump through his own body as he, along with the rest of the x-men, waited for their signal. Their order.

"Does everyone have each other's back?" Logan's voice was rough and gravelly.

Logan heard a collective and eager "yes" from the other x-men.

The man in the suit, tired of waiting for an answer, yawned and lifted his hand, ready to give the order to shoot, when a spike grazed his arm. Even though he wasn't physically hurt, his precious suit sustained a long rip in its sleeve. Outraged, he gave the signal.

All hell broke loose.

There were about seventy men who opened fire on the mutants. Canton was a small town, and every man was placed in a strategic location, with the end result being that every square foot in the town was covered by at least one man's gun.

Everywhere he turned, Evan found that there was always one gun firing bullets at him. He had jumped on his skateboard as soon as the fight started, but, within seconds, a bullet hit his precious board. He was thrown off and was forced to roll in the snow, bullets penetrating the places he had once been. He was still able to hear his friends shouting into their earpieces, their voices morphing together into one mangled mess.

"I have a visual on the kid. Meet me at the x-jet." Ravyn's voice carried through his earpiece, through the sounds of battle. How she was able to block out their screams, he didn't know. She found the kid? Where was she?

He turned around and shot a spike into a window where many bullets were being fired. He heard the faint sound of his spike impaling a person before seeing the gun fall out the window and clatter to the ground. Evan changed his direction and grabbed the gift from the dead soldier. It was a large, heavy gun, not like the small handguns that Ravyn let him practice with.

"Wait for us." Wolverine's raspy voice came through the earpiece, answering Ravyn's demand.

Evan charged down a street, side stepping an over turned trashcan. He saw Rogue running in towards him in a zigzag pattern, poorly aimed bullets following her. Evan aimed at the windows emitting flashes of light and pulled the trigger to his gun. Bullets flew everywhere as he lost control of the powerful gun. At the sound of gunshots ricocheting through the alley, Rogue hit the floor just before a misguided bullet from Evan whizzed harmlessly over her head. Evan lowered the gun and fired spikes from his arm, hitting his intended targets easily. Once they were taken out, he hurried to Rogue and helped her up. He made a quick scan of her body for any misguided bullets.

"Who the hell gave you a gun?" Rogue said furiously, grabbing the gun from his limp hands. She sounded like Ravyn.

They ran alongside each other as they carried on their conversation.

"Where's Ravyn? She's supposed to be with you," Evan shouted through his heavy panting.

As if summoned, Ravyn's voice drifted through the earpiece, barely audible. "I can't."

She can't? She can't what? Evan's mind speeded back in time. She was answering Wolverine's order. She was defying him. Rogue and Evan shared a look.

Rogue pulled Evan backwards with her and pressed him against the wall. She pointed ahead at a building. Through the sun's harsh glare they both saw a gun poking out of the window.

"I'll distract him. You take him out," Rogue ordered, whispering into the younger boy's ear. Evan felt her gloved hand gently slap him on the face before sprinting out into the open, firing bullets in the air and at the building as she ran. As the gun in the window turned to her, Evan ran undetected through the door.

Rogue was a natural sprinter. Though she never did sports when she was in high school, she always knew that she was good at running. Sharpshooting, however, was another story. She found the gun awkward and an unnecessary burden, yet she kept it because it made her feel more powerful than she felt without it.

Turning a corner, she saw Scott and Jean, working together, causing havoc. Whole buildings were being destroyed by lasers emitted from Scott's eyes. Four months of pent-up anger was being released on the unfortunate buildings of gunmen. Though it was obvious that Jean didn't agree with her boyfriend's destructive plan, she did nothing to stop him. She expertly created a force field around the two of them and used her powers to force guns out of the hands of unlucky gunmen.

Jean spotted Rogue and included her in the force field. She put her fingers to her temples and concentrated on holding up the larger force field, as Scott spoke to Rogue.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked Rogue, showing her his broken earpiece.

Rogue shook her head. "Ravyn may be in trouble."

Immediate anger flared behind Scott's glasses. She could've sworn that she heard Scott call Ravyn names that she had never heard him utter before. Jean reduced the force field enough to allow Scott to have a free shot at a gunman. His lazar eyes were able to take out the gunman and half of the building.

"You two are out of control. You're destroying half the town! Stop!" Rogue shouted as she ran through the force field and back into the fray. She had just seen Kurt and Kitty disappear through a building.

She entered the building in record time and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, she suddenly felt weak, as if all of her energy was draining out of her. Looking down at her hand, she saw blood.

Rogue didn't remember getting shot. She wobbled slightly, her center of balance moving to different parts of her body. She would've fallen down the stairs if two hands hadn't tightly grasped her collar and pulled her forward.

Kitty gently placed Rogue down. A gunshot wound was in her side. It didn't look too serious, but Rogue's normally pale face turned ashen. "Kurt!"

Kurt knelt beside Rogue. He reached into his coat and ripped his shirt. Pulling out a strip of cloth, he deftly bandaged her wound, just like Ravyn did when they had first met.

"She'll be fine." Kurt told Kitty, turning his face away from his step-sister. The smell of blood disgusted him as it filled his senses. He took the gun from Rogue and slid it away from them.

"Kurt. Town hall. Now." Logan's voice came over the earpiece. Kurt knew where that was. He had passed it before the battle started.

Kitty seemed to read his mind. "I'll stay with Rogue. Go."

Kurt didn't need to be told twice. He teleported.

When Kurt appeared in the town hall, Logan lost no time in grabbing him by the shoulder. His adamantium claws were covered in blood. "Ravyn's at the X-jet. Check her."

Kurt sent a questioning glance to Logan.

"Don't give me that. We both know she messed up." Logan stated. Behind him, a closet door shook as someone banged on the other side of the door.

"Let. Me. Out!" the voice was undoubtedly that of the man in the suit. Kurt didn't want to know what Logan was planning on doing to the man once he let him out.

"Logan…"

"Go!" Logan's face temporarily distorted into a fiendish expression as he pushed Kurt away from the closet door. Logan then took a step back into his fighting stance. It was as if he was willing to fight Kurt for the right to kill the man in the suit.

Kurt lightly touched his scapular through his clothing. He knew he would regret leaving the man in the closet, but he teleported out of the town hall. As soon as he teleported, he wished that he had stayed and defended the man.

When Kurt re-appeared a few yards away from the x-jet, he watched helplessly as a dart hit Ravyn's neck. Time seemed to slow down for him as he took in the situation. Ravyn was pressed against the x-jet. There was no rope or chains or anything near her, but she looked as if she was paralyzed. A good distance away from her was a little boy. Tears were streaming down his small face. Even though his face still had baby fat, his eyes were that of an older man. His eyes were soulless, as if they were stripped of their innocence a long time ago. A man dressed in black had one hand on the child's shoulder while the other one held a gun. Blue liquid seeped down to the ground as a new dart appeared in the barrel of the gun.

Kurt took action. He charged towards the man and child. His feet were still pounding the ground when he teleported. He reappeared inches away from the man and knocked him to the ground. The sudden force caused the man to also pull down the boy.

Ravyn felt her invisible binds loosen and she slowly slid down the cold metal of the x-jet. She didn't black out, and, for the most part, felt fine. Kurt and the mysterious man untangled themselves from each other. The man had dropped his special gun when he tumbled down, but it was quickly replaced with a menacing knife. Kurt's spaded tail swished dangerously across the snow.

Ravyn was about to blindside the man from behind, when she noticed the boy stand up shakily, his eyes wide with horror at the sight of the blue demon. "T-the blue-" He was forcibly stopped.

Ravyn didn't know she could leap as far as she did. She grabbed the mouth of the boy and forced him back down into the snow, and pinned him down, by applying her full weight to his small, cold body. She went against the only moral she had taken with her when she joined the assassins. She had steadfastly refused to directly harm children.

Ravyn placed her other hand to her lips and made a shushing noise, but refused to remove her hand from the boy's lips. Jimmy started to cry, fat tears flowing down his ruddy face. The sight made Ravyn's heart sink to her stomach, but she didn't move her hand from the boy's mouth.

Meanwhile, the man in black made his move. He swung his knife expertly at Kurt. The demon dodged it by leaning to the side and taking a step backwards. The man brandished the knife before executing a couple of slashing motions, each one getting closer to Kurt's body. Kurt's feet sank into the soft snow with every step, making it harder for him to move and keep with the beat of the slashes. The man's knife grazed both of Kurt's cheeks in two consecutive slices before Kurt figured out the pattern. With one well-placed move, he grabbed the man's arm and swept his legs with his tail.

Even though he was on the ground, the man wasn't finished fighting. He threw his knife at Kurt. Kurt deflected it with his wrist, but not before receiving a long, bright red cut by the blade. While Kurt was busy with the knife, the man drew the gun he had confiscated from Ravyn and turned it on her. The shot was too easy. Ravyn had her entire backside exposed and her arms were busily trying to calm down the struggling child beneath her.

Two shots reverberated through the open. In a moment of panic caused by the shots, Kurt slit the man's throat with his tail. Before he had the time to realize the murder he had committed, he raced to Ravyn. She had been pushed onto her back by the boy. Blood began to stain the snow beneath her.

Ravyn didn't know why she wasn't healing. In fact, she was getting weaker by the second. Her eyes fluttered as she tried to gain focus in her vision. As soon as her brain registered that she had been shot, the little boy beneath her, in a fit of sudden strength, pushed her off him. At first she was calm and patiently waited for her powers to take over, but the blood came. She felt pools of it beginning to form under her as well as in the back of her throat. She felt Kurt's strong arms behind her back as he pulled her into a sitting position. His eyes were filled with concern as he stared at Ravyn's pain-stricken face.

Ravyn's eyes weren't on Kurt. The little boy was long gone. Ravyn didn't know how physically strong the boy was until she saw him dart out from under the x-jet. She faintly heard his high-pitched voice carried by the wind. He was talking to someone. She averted her gaze to the demon staring expectantly at her. She tried to speak, but couldn't, so she focused on breathing. Breathing was painful, and with every breath, she took in less air. For a while they just stared at each other, Kurt waiting for her to heal herself up while she memorized his face. If she had to die, she might as well take in the appearance of the last person she was to see.

Movement over his shoulder broke the spell. Her eyes grew wide and she tried to speak again. "What's wrong?" Kurt asked, wondering why he still felt blood pouring out of her wounds. She placed a hand on his chest and pushed him as hard as she could. Away from her. His gold eyes filled with hurt.

Along with a shaky breath, she was able to emit the word "Leave".

A dart hit Kurt's neck. Dropping Ravyn, he turned to face them. 'Them' were five men wearing camouflage uniforms. All were carrying guns carrying the same blue liquid as the man in black had. The little boy was with them.

Ravyn knew that Kurt was doomed as soon as she saw Jimmy open his mouth to speak. She blacked out.

Logan led his team out of Canton and back towards the x-jet. The mission was a miserable failure. He knew that the enemies of mutants would forever use this event as an example of the 'destruction' caused by mutants. He wasn't proud of what he and his team had done to the town and their attackers, but now, all he wanted was to get his team safely back to the mansion. He was closely followed by Scott. Rogue leaned heavily on his broad shoulder, forcing her legs to match Scott's quick stride. Kitty came next. Her face was covered in gunpowder, the result of her phasing through countless bullets. Jean and Evan brought up the rear. Thanks to her force fields, Jean came out of the battle unscathed. Evan, on the other hand, had blood flowing out his nose. He was wondering if there was any polite way to ask Ravyn to heal his broken nose when they came within sight of the x-jet.

"Are they inside?" Kitty said. She didn't wait for the x-jet to let down its ramp. She jumped through the wall. Wolverine, Scott and Rogue raced up the ramp as soon as it touched ground. Jean was about to do the same when Evan grabbed her arm. He pulled her attention to a large bloodspot under the x-jet. Blood was everywhere, all over the ground and on part of the x-jet wall. Trails of blood led towards the nearby woods before abruptly ending. Jean saw something move with the wind and grabbed it off the bloodstained snow.

A bullet missed her head by mere inches before creating a small dent in the x-jet's exterior wall. Jean whipped up a force field just in time to deflect other shots. "Time to go, Evan!" she shouted, leading the way to the ramp, which had begun its ascent. Both Evan and Jean were able to make it up the ramp before it closed.

Scott immediately grabbed Jean's shoulders. "What was that? Are you all right?" He looked her over, trying to find wounds.

Kitty approached Evan. "Where's Kurt? Ravyn?" Evan shook his head to both questions.

"We can't wait for them." Logan said, jumpstarting the engine. To say he was disappointed was an understatement. He was furious. It was the second time in three months that he had lost both the demon and the assassin.

Scott caught Jean's eyes, which were filled with tears. "Jean, what's wrong?"

Jean opened up her clenched hand and dropped its content on the x-jet floor. Jean, Scott, Evan, and Kitty all leaned in to get a better look, while Rogue, situated on a nearby chair, craned her neck to see. Even Logan quickly turned to find out what the deal was.

Everyone knew what it was, but no one was sure what it meant. Kurt's scapular, which was broken in half and soaked in blood, lay on the floor.


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey everyone! First off, Happy Valentine's Day! I felt that I should upload on Valentine's Day because I really like everyone who enjoys reading this little story. Secondly, I am very sorry for not uploading anything for a while. I have been trying to upload at least a chapter per week. Truth is, I'm not writing as much because of other personal responsibilities. So, maybe the uploads will happen once every two weeks or something... but they will keep coming. I swear I'll finish this thing if its the last thing I do. Please review and tell me what you liked/didn't like too much/anything! Every time I get a review, it gives me a burst of energy to write. Also, I'm planning to do another run at going back and editing the recent chapters, so, if you don't hear from me in a month, that is probabaly why. Thank you for your patience, and enjoy Chapter 14.**

**********Disclaimer: So... I was told to write one of these. I do not own X-men: Evo. I am not that awesome.**********

14.

Ravyn was either still alive or in hell. The cold sensation from the dart still remained, freezing her insides. Her eyes felt glued shut, as if begging her not to open her eyes and see the terrors that lay beyond them. She forced them open and jerked her head back.

She was in a room made entirely of mortar. There were no windows; the only light in the room came from an old, flickering light bulb attached to the ceiling. The solitary bulb cast grotesque shadows over the room, but held enough light to reveal a large metal table. Ravyn noticed the metal clamps on the legs of the table, holding it in place. A door, also seemingly made of mortar, was immediately to her right.

Ravyn took a deep breath. It smelled horrible in the room. It was either completely new, or it wasn't used in a while. She attempted to straighten her back, but cried out as a wave of pain washed over her body. She looked down. Her limbs were tightly strapped to the arms and legs of a chair with a long metal chain. Her entire torso was wrapped in a soft cotton bandage. Though it stemmed the bleeding, it didn't stop the irritation that occurred every time she tried to move. Whoever brought her here wanted her alive. The healer attempted to use her power, but felt nothing but the cold sensation.

Ravyn began to think that the situation was another one of her strangely realistic dreams when the door opened and a man strode in. Instead of wearing black like her last tormentor, he wore a lab coat. His face was that of a middle aged man, but the top of his head was completely bald with small tufts of grey hair. In his hands was a clipboard, upon which was a blank piece of paper. He stood across the table from her, and placed the clipboard down.

"What's your name, mutant?"

Ravyn looked pointedly at the man. Even though it wasn't her real name to begin with, she didn't want to give the man the name 'Ravyn'. The name had grown on her, and held the same amount of sacredness as her true name.

"Kitty," she said. Her brain was too muddled to think of any other name.

"Kitty?" For a split second, Ravyn thought that the man had caught her bluff. She was relieved when he took his eyes off her and scribbled something on his clipboard.

"Last name?"

"Pryde." She used Kitty's first name. Might as well make it complete.

The man dragged a chair from the darkness and took a seat across from her. He stared at her for a while. Ravyn was able to identify disgust mixed with a more prominent expression: curiosity. "And how old are you, Kitty Pryde?" The sentence was worded tamely, but the tone of it was dark.

Her age. Ravyn shook her head, temporarily ridding her of the pesky stars that floated across her vision. She jostled with the thought of giving her age. Even though it was just a number, Ravyn considered it to be another part of her identity, and she was not about to tell a man whose job was to interrogate her.

She stared calmly back at her interrogator. "Seventeen," she lied, telling the man Kurt's age. The man's eyebrow rose slightly as he jotted down the false information she fed him. Ravyn took advantage of the time he spent writing by looking around. Her back screamed in protest as the wounds were twisted, and she bit her lip to keep from screaming. She hoped to see Kurt, his golden eyes glowing in the dark, silently convincing her that everything would be fine. She suddenly felt much more than half a year younger than him.

She returned to face the man as he looked up from his writing. Her heartbeat quickened as the man rose from his chair and touched her face gently. She turned away from him, uncomfortable with his close proximity to her.

The man laughed. "And what's your power, X-man?"

He knew she was an X-man. Ravyn's mouth opened slightly from the shock and her heart rate doubled. The man observed and caught her reaction; he jotted it down. She knew that question would come eventually, but she dreaded having to answer it.

So she remained silent. She turned her face away from the man. The muscles in her back protested, but the pain had mostly subsided. It was then that Ravyn noticed that the cold sensation was rapidly disappearing from within her. Was she gaining her powers back?

The man chuckled. "Don't worry, we always get our answers. One way or another." He patted her cheeks gently before leaving the room.

Ravyn let out a sigh of relief. Warmth spread throughout her body, and, in some parts, it felt as if her skin was burning. She felt the tingling sensation in her back. She smirked as her vision cleared up, and even breaths filled her lungs.

It wasn't long before the man in the lab coat returned with two men dressed in camouflage uniforms. "I'm going to ask you nicely one more time. What is your power?" He turned her chair so that she faced the door and his face.

The fact that she had her ability back, gave Ravyn a dose of overconfident bravery. She spit into her interrogator's eye. The man yelped in shock. He stumbled back a couple of feet from the mutant and shouted to the two men behind him. "Bring in the teleporter."

Ravyn heard the words, but her brain didn't comprehend them. She was busy celebrating her victory over the mysterious scientist when her eyes caught sight of a blue figure being dragged into the room by the two camouflaged men.

"Kurt," Ravyn whispered. Immediately after she spoke she prayed that she was inaudible. The man sneered at her before kicking the motionless blue figure. Ravyn twitched and tears filled her eyes, which she quickly blinked away.

"What's your power?" The man turned to her again. One of the men in the camouflaged suits grabbed Kurt's hair and pulled, forcing the mutants to establish eye contact.

How long was she unconscious? Kurt looked entirely spent. His gold eyes were rimmed with blood red lines and he looked as though he hadn't slept for days. He had multiple, bright red lines running down his body. His lip was busted open, pouring out blood that dripped off his chin and onto the floor.

"Remember him, Kitty? Your power or he dies." The scientist put a gun to Kurt's head. Ravyn's eyes glanced from the man to the gun to Kurt. Torn, she concentrated on reading Kurt's face. What did he want her to do? Kurt didn't reveal anything. He looked at her as he always did; giving no hint of the pain he had just received. His mouth even twitched up to a comforting smile. It was as though, through their situation, he found it funny that she felt the need to take Kitty's name.

The man cocked the gun and was about to pull the trigger when Ravyn shouted, louder then she intended. "I can heal…" Her voice drifted off into silence. She had defied the most important rule she was taught in her training to be an assassin: only one life counts and it's your own.

The man motioned to the two people who dropped Kurt unceremoniously to the ground. Ravyn winced. Kurt tried to stagger upright, but was hit over the head with the butt of a gun. Ravyn tried to make eye contact with the scientist, but he was busy talking to the men who brought in Kurt. He talked quickly in low tones before turning back to his prisoner.

"Don't even try anything suspicious." As he said this, his two minions began to loosen her bonds to the chair.

They had freed her wrists, but weren't finished untying her legs when she attacked. She was completely healed, and as soon as she started moving, her strength returned to her. Half standing, she surprised her captors by pushing one of them to the side. She punched the other one hard in the groin. While both were preoccupied with their injuries, Ravyn summoned all her strength and kicked hard with her legs while pulling her arms upwards, resulting with the unraveling of the chain she had around her body. As soon as she stood up, she picked up the chair and hit the minion she had previously pushed away.

The man in a lab coat was drawing a dart gun with the mysterious blue liquid when Ravyn flung the chair at him. He collapsed by the open door, offering her a chance to escape. Ravyn sprinted to the door, but tripped over a body that lay forgotten on the floor.

Kurt's mind threw him back to reality when he felt a sharp kick to his side. He moaned in pain and tried to stand up. Ravyn was scrambling off his body, staring at him as if she had forgotten they were both in some kind of jail cell. Her eyes darted from Kurt to the unprotected door. Kurt knew exactly what was going on in her head. "Go!" he shouted in his head, his lips too parched to form words.

Ravyn stayed planted where she was as a minion grabbed her from behind and forced her to her knees. She didn't try to fight back. The man in the lab coat raised his dart gun and fired. Tears of frustration filled Ravyn's eyes as she felt the coldness return to her body.

She had the chance to escape the torture chambers, but instead she stayed because she couldn't think of leaving someone to die in her stead. She had become weak. She knew that if her assassin co-workers saw her now, they would have shared a shocked and disappointed silence.

The scientist called the men out of the room and the door was closed behind them, leaving Ravyn and Kurt alone. Ravyn didn't move from her position on her knees. Even though there was no evidence of a window, she still felt the scientist's piercing glare on her. Kurt, on the other hand, dragged himself upright and leaned heavily on the cold wall.

"You could've made it," he said, his voice hoarse and tired.

Ravyn looked up at him quickly, like she was shocked that he was still alive. "I know," she stated, restlessly. She began unraveling the bandages under her shirt. They were sweaty and kind off bloody, but she figured that they would be better than nothing for Kurt's wounds. She pulled him off the wall and began bandaging him. Her attitude reminded Kurt of when they first met, when she begged him to kill her rather than face the humiliation of losing.

"Who would've guessed that Jimmy was the one looking for us?" Kurt asked, trying to get her to break the silence.

Ravyn sighed, dejectedly before answering. "He was being used. His ability… It's powerful."

"What is it?"

"Being God."

At the mention of God, Kurt reached for his scapular, but felt only his bloodstained fur. "That's impossible," he muttered, inaudibly.

"He gives a command, and you are forced to do what he says."

Kurt relaxed as the bandage came in contact with his wounds. "I heard that Jean was like that at first. Children begin to learn how to use their powers that way-" Kurt took a sharp breath and grit his teeth in pain as Ravyn tightened the bandages around his torso. Ravyn muttered an apology as Kurt took a few breaths to stem the pain. He then continued, "He… he is very powerful though, for a child."

Having finished her work as doctor, Ravyn took a seat beside Kurt. Although her insides were frozen from the dart gun, the parts of her skin that brushed against Kurt's fur felt hot. "How long was I out?"

Kurt looked away from her, thinking. "I'm not sure. One…. Maybe two-"

"Hours?"

"Days."

They both heard someone hit the other side of the door. "No talking!" A man's voice broke the barriers of the jail cell. Ravyn slouched against the wall and began to throw pebbles on the floor against the wall on the opposite side of the cell.

"What will they do to us?" Ravyn whispered quietly. Kurt could sense nervous tension in her voice.

Kurt wanted to lie to Ravyn, but a part of him couldn't. "This pace… It's a testing facility. They will experiment your strength and how you… how you react to different medications-"

Ravyn looked into Kurt's eyes, which were fixed on her face. Her lower lip quivered slightly. "We have to get out of here." She left Kurt's side and walked around the room, her eyes darting wildly around the room. She was looking for vents.

Unexpectedly, Ravyn threw her fist down on the table. Her hand screamed in pain. "Ravyn, calm down." Kurt staggered to his feet as the door opened and two buff men dressed in the same camouflage uniforms entered. They made a quick scan of the room before their eyes stopped on Ravyn.

"You. You're coming with us." One of them stated, approaching Ravyn with his hands outstretched. Kurt hissed in anger and got ready to attack when he caught Ravyn's eyes glowing with excitement and curiosity, gazing past him and out the open door. She subtly shook her head to him.

She allowed herself to be handcuffed and escorted by the two men down what seemed to be a maze of pipes made entirely of concrete. If she didn't know better, she would've thought that she was in the sewers. The pipes were lighted by a dim light bulb every couple of yards. Every now and then, they would pass doorways made of mortar. When she focused hard enough, she could hear coughing or crying from within the room.

Ravyn memorized every turn they took. She also kept a lookout for vents, which have saved her life many times. They had not been walking long before the two men stopped in front of a mortar door. Unlike the other doors, the one they stopped in front of had a small window. Bright lights streamed through the window, causing Ravyn to squint uncomfortably. The two men removed her handcuffs and shoved her into the room.

The room was brightly lighted by a large light hanging from the middle of the room. The room was once painted white, but now sustained many dark red spots on the walls and floor. Ravyn's uncertaity rose up at the sight of blood. Across from the door she had just entered were bars that divided the entire room in half. Beyond the bars was another door. Ravyn noticed that the bloodstains were all on her side, and the other side of the bars was immaculate.

Ravyn waited for something to happen. She had no idea what the room she was currently standing in was used for, but knew that her blood would probably be the latest addition to the walls and floor. She waited for someone to enter and give her directions. The bright lights began to give her a headache when the door beyond the bars opened. The man in a lab coat entered, smiling broadly.

"Hello, Kitty Pryde. Want your power back?"

The scientist eyed her like an animal in a zoo. He wrote more points on his clipboard, before reaching into his lab coat. He pulled out a large syringe that was filled with green slime. "An antidote," he stated to her questioning gaze.

Ravyn shook her head. "Why should I take it?" She approached the bars separating her from the scientist, glancing at him warily.

"What more do you have to lose?"

"What do I have to gain?"

The scientist sighed deeply before he repeated her question. "What do you have to gain? You're powers."

"For your entertainment." Ravyn clutched the bars tightly. The scientist stood on the far side of the cell, out of reach from the mutant.

"Cooperation is required if you want to survive, Ms. Pryde. The blood around you is a symbol of that."

Ravyn looked around at the bloodstained walls and floor before turning her attention back to him. Slowly, she stretched her arm out in front of her. The scientist approached her, but kept most of his body out of her reach. Ravyn watched as the green slime entered her vein. Her body suddenly developed a hot, almost burning feeling. Without warning, the scientist took a step back and pulled a gun out of his coat. With exact precision he fired a bullet into Ravyn's forehead.

Ravyn felt the bullet enter her head and hit her brain. Pain washed over her, and she found herself on the floor, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Her forehead felt like waves of water were going back and forth over it before the bullet popped out of her head. Sitting up drowsily, she caught it in her hand.

The scientist was ecstatic and began to write furiously on his clipboard. "That was amazing, Kitty!"

Ravyn rushed at the bars and clawed through them, trying to reach the scientist. The man in the lab coat took a step back, continuing to scribble. He momentarily looked up and signaled to someone behind her. She saw something move out of her peripheral vision and turned. Jimmy stood, petrified, on her side of the room. From one look, she knew that Jimmy didn't know what he was supposed to do with her.

"Now let us see what you can really do."

A shot rang out. Ravyn braced herself for the bullet, but moments went slowly by without the feeling of pain. Slightly dazed, she looked around, and her eye landed on Jimmy's bleeding body. "You, bastard! He's just a kid!" she shouted, pulling Jimmy into her arms, her hands covering the hole he had in his chest.

"So? Can't you heal him?" the scientist asked dismissively.

Ravyn's eyes clouded with rage, but she forced herself to think clearly. She pulled Jimmy to her chest, resting her head on his shoulder, her mouth close to his ear. She healed him slowly, enough to keep him alive and conscious enough to understand her, but slow enough to keep him tired and disoriented-looking. "Jimmy, listen to me. I don't care what he offered you. It's not worth it. You're the only one who has the power to get out of here. You have got to help me-" she winced as she transferred most of his wound to her body. Her blood mixed with his. "I can get us out of here, but you have to trust me." She felt him nod feebly against her shoulder.

Ravyn pulled away from him and stood, facing the scientist. A large bloodstain covered her chest. Jimmy slowly stood, unharmed. The man in the lab coat's mouth was slightly opened, his expression triumphant. "That was incredible! You are perfect for our experiment-"

"The doctor will stop talking and sit down." Jimmy's voice filled the room. The scientist silently obeyed him. "The doctor will open that door," Jimmy continued, pointing to the door behind him.

The scientist held the expression of horror, but left the room through the door on his side. As soon as he left, Jimmy turned to Ravyn. She took an involuntary step back. "You will help me find my parents?"

"I will. Yeah. Sure," Ravyn promised, still a bit scared of the young boy's power.

Jimmy smiled hopefully up at her before getting serious. "I can't control him after he opens the door."

"I'll take care of him."

"There are also two guards stationed at the door."

Ravyn smiled to herself. Despite what he had previously done to her, she was beginning to like Jimmy. The familiar feeling of adrenaline pumping through her system returned, reminding her of how she felt during her killing days. "Stay back," she warned Jimmy as the knob of the door slowly turned.

The door had only opened a crack when Ravyn flung it open. The scientist stood in the doorway, a disturbed expression on his face. He tried to shield himself from her with his clipboard, but Ravyn easily reached past it. She grabbed him by the collar and flung him at the closest guard. After both of them fell, she turned to the other guard, sidestepping a dart. She threw a punch at his unprotected neck and used her elbow to finish him off on the ground. Jimmy stared at Ravyn with pure admiration for a second before the girl grabbed his arm with one hand while the other picked up the dart gun from the floor.

Ravyn retraced the twists and turns of the pipes that the two male guards had escorted her through minutes earlier. "Where are we going?" Jimmy asked as Ravyn pulled him down hallway after hallway, taking frequent glances behind them.

"Getting a friend." She stopped at a door and opened it. Kurt was right where she left him. His eyes were shut and he seemed to be muttering prayers through his bruised lips.

Ravyn shook him awake. His golden eyes focused on her hazel ones. Her old assassin composure had returned to her, but she managed a small, wry smile. "We're getting out of here."

Jimmy broke the moment. "I hear them coming."

"Come on!"Ravyn threw Kurt's arm around her neck and helped him off the ground. Immediately, Kurt's legs gave out, and Ravyn felt his full weight pulling her down.

"I won't make it." He tried to state it calmly, as if he didn't care if he escaped or not, but Ravyn felt his pulse race.

"Damnit!" Ravyn muttered. She turned to Jimmy. "I've gotta heal him. Hold them off!"

Jimmy stared, his eyes wide with horror. "There's too many of them…" Ravyn knew that he wanted her to leave Kurt.

"Just do it!"

Jimmy jumped to obey her. Ravyn's eyes met Kurt's endless piercing gaze. "You ready?"

She didn't wait for an answer. Her hand felt the soft fur on Kurt's cheek and her mind concentrated. She winced as she transferred some of his wounds onto her. She felt her lip cut itself before it healed up again. She broke into a sweat at the extent of some of the wounds. Through it all, Kurt's eyes never left her face.

Jimmy screamed. Ravyn removed her hand from Kurt's face and tried to get her vision to focus. Kurt jumped into action. Grabbing her hand with newfound strength, he pulled her out of the cell. Still disoriented, Ravyn stumbled in front of Jimmy, accidentally taking a dart for him. For the third time she felt her ability drained from her. She saw a blur of blue as Kurt charged at the approaching camouflaged men. With the agility of someone who spent his entire life training, Kurt attacked the five men, sliding between them as well as scaling the walls and ceiling above them. His tail, the only ability he had at the moment, became the most lethal weapon. It gave him the ability of having an extra arm or foot, strong enough to throw a man the length of the hallway or choke him.

Ravyn stayed rooted to the spot she stood, watching Kurt perform. She had never seen Kurt fight before, and she could tell that the years of training in the circus as well as at the Institute had sharpened his talents. It wasn't until he began sprinting down the hallway on all fours that she felt her legs move again. "Run!" she shouted, pushing Jimmy ahead of her.

The three mutants ran, pursued by twenty uniform men. "I'm gaining my powers back!" Kurt shouted to her, catching up with her slower pace. He grabbed her arm. "Get the boy!"

Ravyn whipped her head around, expecting to see Jimmy right behind her. Instead, she saw him collapse to the floor behind her, two darts in his neck. Ravyn dug her heels into the ground in an attempt to stop moving away from Jimmy's downed body, but Kurt, oblivious to the situation, still had a tight grip on her arm and dragged her forward.

Time seemed to stand still. Jimmy was still conscious and reached a tiny hand to her. Ravyn saw the men and the scientist appear around the corner. "Kurt, no!" she heard herself scream as she felt Kurt's muscles tense up, a sign that he was going to attempt to teleport. She stretched out her hand, their fingers inches away.

She heard a loud gunshot and felt herself being sucked up, the smell of sulfur surrounding her. The men, the scientist, and Jimmy's tearstained face disappeared before her eyes. In the split second before they teleported, Ravyn remembered the casual promise she made to Jimmy, and how, like all her other promises, she was forced to break it.


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: Welcome, everyone! The last five chapters have been slightly edited so if you want to check those out, then great. You know the drill. If there are still any grammatical errors and/or continuation errors please let me know. So, anyways, in this chapter we get to find out Ravyn's real name. So I'm excited on the feedback for that. I have made a decision on the end of this story: It will not be a happy ending, but it will open many doors for a sequel, if you are up for it. Anyways, enjoy Chapter 15...**

************Disclaimer: So... I was told to write one of these. I do not own X-men: Evo. I am not that awesome.************

15.

The re-entry out of the teleportation was bad. Kurt didn't know where they were; hence he didn't know where he could teleport. He didn't have his full ability back, so he prayed that his teleporting would take them far away from the experimentation facility.

As soon as he exited the safety of his teleportation, he felt himself falling. Ravyn's hand was jostled out of his grasp as they fell. Before he had time to teleport again, his back hit a rock. He felt his spine erupt in pain as stars burst across his vision.

Ravyn, on the other hand, landed on a soft pile of snow and rolled onto her back. Even though she was still dizzy from the teleporting and her mind was still echoing Jimmy's promise, she noticed that she was sliding across the ground. Her eyes reluctantly flickered open.

It was snowing pretty hard and within five seconds, she was shivering. The piercing, howling wind also bit through her thin shirt and the fact that her organs were still frozen by the dart didn't make her feel any warmer. She sat up and looked down. She was on a frozen river.

Ravyn wasn't far from the banks of the river, and stumbled off the ice. Putting her arms around her body to give her brain a sense of warmth, she looked around her. "Kurt!" she shouted, panicked.

Through the wind, she heard a groan. It sounded close. "Kurt!" she shouted again, more urgently. She felt her limbs growing numb. Through the fast-falling snow, she caught a glimpse of an indigo figure. "Kurt," she gasped out, reaching his body. She tried to help him up, but he groaned in protest. Feeling around him, she found that he had landed on a partially snow-covered rock. She tried to heal him, despite her frozen insides reminding her that her power was temporarily stripped from her.

"Kurt, we've got to go back! I left him. He's back there," Ravyn said in a half-crazed rant.

Kurt shook his head and struggled to stand up. He was pale, and Ravyn could read from his facial expression that every slight move he made hurt him. He couldn't teleport her back. He didn't even know where 'back' was. "Oh god… I'm sorry, Jimmy," Ravyn whispered. She strained her eyes to look around her, and finally noticed two large rocks off to the side. They had a small gap between them. The wind blew Ravyn's long and tangled hair into her eyes and mouth as she helped Kurt between the rocks. The position of the rocks shielded the two mutants from most of the wind, but not from the cold. Ravyn was beginning to have trouble moving her fingers and arms. She leant Kurt against one of the tall rocks. "You hurt?" She asked. She knew the answer, but she needed to keep him alert.

"Yeah, my back."

Ravyn hated herself for getting shot by the dart gun. "Promise me you won't teleport."

"What?"

"Just do it, Kurt!" Ravyn shouted, exasperated. She forced her fingers to move, but it did nothing to help the paralysis that she felt in them.

"Fine. I promise."

"Good. Stay here. I'll get help."

She turned to leave, but Kurt grabbed her arm. His touch hurt her frost bitten arm. "Wait, Ravyn." He wasn't going to argue with her. She always got her way, one way or another, but he had a plan. He was going to beg her to stay.

What she said next shocked him. She wriggled out of his grasp and looked him straight in the eye. "It's Lillian." Smoke came out of her mouth in quick gasps. The name sounded foreign coming from her mouth.

Kurt was temporarily shocked. Lillian? No, it couldn't be. It sounded too gentle, too feminine to match the hardheaded assassin that stood in front of him. "Lillian?" he asked, dumbstruck.

"Someone should know."

She prepared to leave, but Kurt pulled her into his warm body, embracing her like he did when they had first met. Slowly, Ravyn's hands rose to his back. She knew that he was freezing, but his body was a lot warmer than hers. She sank into his embrace, feeling the irrational sense of security she always had in his arms. She felt his muscles tighten against her. He was going to teleport again. "Wait, Kurt-No-!" Her scream was cut off by the gunshot sound of his teleportation.

* * *

><p>The X-men stared silently at the television screen. Confined within the screen was a horrific picture of a destroyed town. Debris was everywhere, and singed papers flew around. The cameras closed in on a closet door with blood seeping out from behind it. The reporter spoke as the camera switched to a picture of a completely destroyed building, the frame barely holding itself up above a pile of cement rubble. The headline flashed at the top of the screen: Angry Mutants Destroy Town.<p>

The cameras switched from broadcasting the broken town of Canton to a courtroom, filled with angry politicians. There was barely any order, and the politicians kept yelling and waving their arms at the only two mutants in the room. Everyone could see that Storm was shocked at what they were shouting, while Beast stared across the room blankly.

Kitty was a mess. For a day and a half she cried herself to sleep. She had lost her best friend. She had forced herself to watch the television to see if she could catch a glimpse of his body as he was carted away. Now, she sat, feeling numb and useless, having cried out all the tears in her body. Evan sat beside her, his arm around her shoulder. He had given up trying to comfort her. He, too, had lost friends. Kurt was his first friend when he came to the institute and Ravyn was his last. He wished he could rewind time to tell her how he really felt about her. He felt a dull ache in his chest as it plunged to his stomach. Rogue was also in tears, which she quickly would wipe away with her gloved hand. She never knew how much Kurt had meant to her as a brother until he was gone, and she knew that she would never see him again.

Scott and Jean sat apart from the rest of their comrades, ashamed. Every building, every destroyed house shown on the screen was their fault. They both felt guilty and blamed themselves for the loss of Ravyn and Kurt. They had been in the institute for much longer than their companions, Logan included. They trained longer than anybody on self-control, yet, when the time called for it, they were the first to let their feelings get the better of them. Scott remembered the conversation he had with Ravyn. He couldn't believe that he had scolded her on suggesting that they start a war when, in reality, he singlehandedly succeeded in doing it. He pulled Jean closer to him, the only person who he knew didn't hate him.

Logan hadn't slept in days. He and the professor stayed up for hours at night, trying to find Kurt and Ravyn using Cerebro. No matter how hard they both tried, they weren't even able to pick up the slightest repercussion of either ability. It was as if they had both sunk into the ground and ceased to exist. The fact that he was the leader of the team and, that under his watch, two teammates were taken, took its toll on Logan's body and mind. Stepping up to the television, he slashed through it with one, precise slice. Sparks flew as the box died. Logan straightened himself up and walked, stiff-limbed out of the room.

The professor was the only one who refused to watch the television. Instead, he spent all his time in his study. He knew what his x-men did and he didn't need to see it publicized and ridiculed. Like Logan, he hadn't slept in a while. His mind rushed through the possibilities of the fate of Ravyn and Kurt. Each led back to the same conclusion: they were dead. The professor moved Kurt's bloodied scapular to the side of his desk and rested his head where it once laid. No sooner had he placed his cheek against the cool wood of his desk, he heard the sound of metal bending behind him. He turned just in time to see the large metal braces on the window pop out of place and a man appear where they once were.

He wore thick red armor across his chest. The same material also appeared around both his wrists. Underneath the armor was a tight black space suit, made of the same material as the x-men's uniforms. Across his shoulders was a long purple cape what grazed the back of his black shoes. Most recognizable was the silver-lined red helmet he wore at all times, which prevented the Professor from seeing into his mind.

"Hello, Charles," he said. The Professor felt his chair move gently around, guided as if it were drawn to a magnet.

"Erik," Charles greeted.

Silence fell upon the two, both waiting for the other to speak.

"Why are you here, Erik?"

"Is it unusual for two old friends to meet?"

"Only when the two friends haven't seen or heard from each other except in war."

Erik reached up and removed his helmet, revealing his thick white hair and narrow brown eyes. "I came here to congratulate you. You did what I could not, and I was hoping that we could now combine our forces-"

"I did not start a war," Charles stated.

"Yet America is stocking up on guns. Scientists are furiously experimenting on mutants to find what makes us… and what disables us. I come to you with an offer to join me, just like before. We could rule the new world."

"It won't be like before. 'Before' we worked with them, not against them."

"Charles-"

"No, Erik."

Darkness fell over Erik's face. "It's Magneto now." He was turning to leave when he caught sight of Kurt's scapular. "I'm sorry for your loss. It's a pity he will not be avenged."

The Professor heard the metal beams snap in place, signaling the exit of his closest friend and worst enemy.

* * *

><p>Instead of hitting snow, Ravyn's back hit asphalt. She was dragged across the asphalt from the force of the clumsy teleportation. Ignoring the cold burn she felt across her back, she stumbled to her feet.<p>

She glanced around. Buildings surrounded her on two sides, blocking out some of the wind but not the driving snow. She peered around her and was able to make out poor, small apartment buildings made out of bricks and a broken-down consignment shop. Something clicked in the back of her brain. She knew where they were.

She heard a sound behind her and turned. "Kurt!" She raced towards him, a triumphant expression on her face. She could tell he was in great pain, even though he tried to hide it behind a mask of curiosity. "I know where we are. C'mon!" She dragged him towards the consignment shop.

Ravyn came to a sudden stop at the large store window. Her body felt as if it was on fire, a familiar sensation. Snowflakes rapidly melted off her bare skin. She smiled. Without warning, she raised her clenched hands and smashed them into the window. The glass cracked, but didn't cave in. Alarm bells rang.

"Ravyn, No!" Kurt shouted, trying to grab hold of her. She evaded his arms and threw herself at the window. She felt the glass crack against her and cave in. Glass flew everywhere.

Kurt saw her get up, her scars received from the glass healing up rapidly. She pulled him in. "We have five minutes. Get a coat."

The consignment shop wasn't large, but contained many racks of clothing. Ravyn and Kurt stumbled in the dark. Ravyn found a rack full of coats and grabbed one. She knew the map of the consignment store better than coat and stumbled to the place she knew she would find boots. Picking one two sizes too big for her, she headed out.

"Get your hands up!" A voice screamed. The room lit up with flashing red and white light. A police car seemingly appeared out of nowhere in front of the shop. The male cop held out his gun threateningly. Ravyn tried to shield her face from the light with her hand. Kurt ducked behind racks of clothes, unseen.

Ravyn put her hands up, her eyes not betraying Kurt's hiding spot. It was better that she be spotted and arrested than him being seen by a human in his demonic form. The cop entered the shop and eyed her suspiciously, the aim of his gun never leaving her body. The alarms still rang, giving Ravyn a slight headache. She noticed that, although the cop had a pager, he wasn't calling for any backup, nor was he updating headquarters on his actions.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, calmly, circling her. Ravyn kept her hands in the air, waiting for him to handcuff her.

"I went for a walk." She rolled her eyes at him. She glanced over to where she knew Kurt was, but saw no trace of him.

"So you're that kind of runaway?"

Ravyn felt her arms being pulled down behind her and heard the handcuffs click into place. Where was Kurt? He had many chances to jump the guy.

"Stand against the counter," the cop commanded. Ravyn silently obeyed, taking note that his gun was aimed to kill her. He shined his flashlight into her eyes, blinding her. For a while he just stared at her in the obviously stolen, baggy coat and shoes, before he switched off his flashlight. The sudden transition from brightness to darkness caused Ravyn temporary night blindness. Her senses sharpened and the sound of the alarms sounded a little bit louder, as if warning her.

Before she knew it, Ravyn felt the cop's body around her, forcing her onto the counter. His lips roughly pressed against hers and his hands wandered roughly over her body. Ravyn was frozen in shock, and began to struggle tactlessly. She tried to scream but it was muffled by the cop's large, greasy hand.

"I wouldn't do that, honey." Ravyn felt the gun press lightly against her temple. As soon as the cool metal touched her skin, the man was jerked back. The cop flew across the area of the room before hitting the wall. Kurt stood in front of her, protectively, his breathing heavy and erratic. She could feel his anger filling the room. Kurt charged, eyes blinded by anger, at his opponent, just as Ravyn hit the floor. A confused shout reached her ears before the shots rang out, the smell of sulfur becoming apparent. Ravyn curled herself up and placed her foot on the handcuffs between her wrists. With one swift kick, the chain was undone. She could hear the scuffle in front of her and jumped into the fray. She landed between the fighting men. Her hands latched upon both of their wrists and closed her eyes.

It was a peculiar feeling. Ravyn felt pain start from her fingertips touching Kurt's fur. The pain was extreme, and Ravyn wondered how long Kurt was carrying painful wounds on his body. The wave of pain climbed her arm and reached her back, which arched grotesquely as she heard something snap. Her head became numb as the pain continued its journey up her other arm and finally, to the hand which desperately clung to the cop's wrist. Her muscles seemed to all tighten to their extent before all simultaneously relaxing, their energy taken from them.

The cop suddenly collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain, his spine twisted into an ugly shape. His hands flew to his wounded back where both Kurt and Ravyn knew numerous scars were growing. He howled in pain, his voice meshing with the alarms. Kurt pulled Ravyn away from the cop before helping her up. Ravyn clutched him like a scared child desperately hanging on to the one person who could make her feel safe. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. She was a veteran at keeping the unshed tears deep inside her.

Ravyn broke the embrace to pick up the cop's gun. She aimed it professionally at the spot on the man's body that would give him a slow and painful death and pulled the trigger. Kurt didn't stop her. Another set of red and blue lights flashed outside the convenience store. Half dazed, she allowed herself to lean heavily on Kurt as he led her outside through the back door.


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a while, I know, but here is Chapter 16. I wrote it quite a while ago, but didn't like how it flowed. Then I got a writer's block. I have probably changed this chapter more than I have any other chapter. Enjoy!**

16.

Ravyn was hungry, wet, tired, and cold. The last thing she wanted was to run, but run she did. Now fully healed, Kurt matched her pace beside her. He kept taking glances behind them, keeping a lookout for the cop car he knew pursued them. They were going at a painstakingly slow pace, and Ravyn looked like she was going to faint at any second.

"You said back there that you knew where we are. Where are we?" Kurt said, steering Ravyn back on course. She stumbled, temporarily losing her balance before stopping in her tracks. Through her muddled mind she forced herself to concentrate on the events that happened no more than ten minutes ago.

Kurt grabbed her arm. "We can't stop. They'll-"

"If they wanted to find us, they would have followed our Goddamn footprints!" Ravyn screamed, pushing him away and gesturing wildly behind them. She was unreasonably angry at him and she knew it, but she needed him to shut up in order for her frozen mind to work.

"Picketsville." She spoke the name of the town she had lived in for almost three years. Even though it was snowing and the visibility was nearly zero, a map created itself in front of her. She soon recognized every rock, every dumpster around her. She had spent many long hours wandering aimlessly around the town, memorizing every alley and the insides of every building. She turned to Kurt, who was still staring at her, puzzled. She was forced to smile at his irrational trust in her. "I lived here. Teleport me half a mile in… that direction."

Kurt grabbed her and obediently teleported. One second Kurt was holding her and the next she was staring at the building she had called home ever since she became an assassin. She approached it warily, recalling many of the memories she had of the place. She put out her arm in front of Kurt, stopping him from moving forward.

"What now?" Ravyn noticed a hint of exasperation in his voice.

"Cameras." Ravyn expertly avoided the front of the house and jumped up the side of the porch. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached for the spot where she knew a hidden camera lay. She felt the cold metal of the electronic, but found her job already done. The camera's wires were already cut, obviously by an incredibly sharp pocket knife. She nodded down to Kurt. As she jumped down, Kurt approached the door to her apartment.

The door was slightly ajar.

Kurt placed the tips of his fingers on the door and gently pushed. The door creaked open and both mutants cautiously entered the apartment.

It was a mess. Furniture was everywhere, some of it thrown into piles of unrecognizable junk. Wallpaper was torn off the walls and littered on the floor. Her bed was turned over and the mattress cut open. Floorboards were pierced and ripped out of the ground. The kitchen was a mess, spoiled food lay discarded on the ground. The telephone or what used to be the telephone was sprinkled on top of the food, creating some sort of grotesque cake.

"Welcome home, Lillian," Ravyn muttered to herself. Kurt stared at her suddenly remembering that she had told him her real name. She sat with her back against the door and stared blankly at the room. With one look, Kurt knew that she didn't want to be bothered. Grabbing the leg of a wooden chair and the remains of what could've been a wooden table, he filled a large metal trashbin with parts of furniture. Ravyn stood and disappeared into the kitchen, only to emerge holding a book of matches.

"Wanna do the honors?" she said dryly, handing the book to him. Kurt silently took it and lit the furniture. Immediately, heat radiated up their cold limbs. They both took a seat close to the bin, leaning against the wall.

Ravyn turned to him, a wry smile on her face. "Look what I found." She placed a bottle of beer in his hand. "Drink up, prude. It's all I found." She gestured to a six pack of beers that lay beside her.

Kurt found himself smiling at her as he popped the cap off his beer. He toasted his bottle to Ravyn's and they both drank. Ravyn didn't know how thirsty she was until she felt the liquid burn its way down her throat. Kurt, on the other hand, couldn't get over the overwhelming bitter taste of the drink and shook his head in an attempt to clear it from his system.

It wasn't long before Kurt broke the silence and asked the question that had been hanging over both of their heads. "Lillian," he began, fumbling over her newfound name. Ravyn turned to him, and rested her head on her knees. She looked almost peaceful, almost like how he pictured a girl like Lillian would be. "Who did this?"

Her face dropped. She didn't even need to think before answering. "Connor."

"Ex-boyfriend?"

"I guess that's the closest thing that categorizes the relationship," Ravyn replied sarcastically.

"And what relationship is that?" Kurt looked at Ravyn, her face parallel to the fire. All trace of Lillian was gone. The fire half lit and half darkened her face, giving her a mysterious, evil glow.

"It's a long story."

Kurt was silent, and Ravyn began. "He was the closest thing I had to a friend in the business. We were both 'found' at the same time and trained together. Since we were around the same age, Connor and I were always paired up to practice against each other. He knew my every trick and fault; I could read the smallest change in his expression. We were… inseparable." Ravyn smiled as she recalled what seemed to be the years she lived decades ago. "I still think about him a lot." She paused, closed her eyes, and then continued "I made three mistakes."

"We finished our training and started going on our separate missions. Usually missions last a day or two, maybe three. But there was this one time I didn't see him for weeks and was convinced he was dead. And I cared. I loved him… or thought I did. That was my first mistake." Her face fell into a disgusted frown. "Something changed when he came back. He was quiet and withdrawn and would yell out really… horrible things at anyone who tried to help him.

"He became extremely competitive after he returned. Since the time he became a full-fledged assassin, he's killed two people who he thought were threats to his standing as the best killer in our… company. When people began comparing the both of us I lost my trust in him. He would always tell me that the only reason he didn't kill me was because of our friendship. It was around this time when I figured out that he was crazy. Irreversibly crazy. So I backed down to him; my second mistake."

Ravyn fell into a deep silence as she retreated into her thoughts and memories.

"You said you made three mistakes." Kurt's eyes were glued to hers. The flickering fire flickered in the center of her pupils. For a moment her hazel eyes seemed to match his gold ones in color.

"My third mistake was… letting him know I was alive and wasn't coming back."

"He's looking for you." It was a statement, not a question.

Ravyn nodded. "And it's only a matter of time before he finds me." Kurt looked at her doubtfully. "I'm serious. He has his ways. I already had to kill two of my co-workers to stay hidden." Her voice dropped to a whisper "He will find me."

A heavy silence filled the room. The only interruptions were the crackling of the broken furniture in the makeshift fire. Ravyn silently finished her first beer.

"H-How about you, Kurt? Any girlfriends?" She joked, in an attempt to relieve the heavy air that had settled between them. She nudged him playfully, flashing a smile. She was on her second beer and welcomed the numbing feeling she was beginning to feel in her brain and in other parts of her body.

Kurt smiled and looked away from her.

"Huh. Boyfriends?"

Kurt chuckled as he swallowed another mouthful of the beer. "Her name was Amanda."

Ravyn almost choked on her beer. She never thought that Kurt could have had a girlfriend. She tried to fight the intense feeling of jealousy. "Was she pretty?" she asked. She took another long gulp of beer and tried to act nonchalant.

Kurt coughed uncomfortably. "Um… Yeah. She was. She really was the first non-mutant to see me without my watch… and I fell in love with the fact that someone like her could love me."

"Then what happened?"

"Mutants got exposed, and pretty much every non-mutant who tried to get to know us was blacklisted. Before I knew it, I was barely spent any time with her. I didn't want her to risk everything for me. We didn't belong together… We couldn't belong together. As soon as we both figured that out, we ended it."

"I'm sorry." Ravyn said, but her mind thought the opposite.

"It happened some time ago. I'm fine."

After a respectful pause, Ravyn staggered to her feet. She approached the pile of destroyed furniture and pulled out the remains of her wooden dresser. She threw it into the fire. Sparks flew up, violated by the bulk of wood.

Kurt stood up and mimicked her movements to refill the metal bin. When he finished, his eyes met Ravyn, who stood across the fire. She stood motionless, a half-empty beer bottle in her hand. Kurt straightened his back to stare her directly in the eye.

He was too easy to read. He was tired, exhausted from their adventure in the mutant prisons, yet he still made it a point to stay awake with her and help keep her warm. He did not need the fire. She did. He drank alcohol with her despite previously telling her he would never touch it. Within his eyes were exhaustion, pain and a little bit of fear, along with another emotion. It was one of the many emotions that she had only seen a few times, and only when she was younger.

"Stop staring at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like I mean something to you." The words echoed through the empty apartment as Ravyn stared down Kurt. Her face was unreadable, but her eyes glistened, not with tears, but with raw emotion.

Kurt stepped around the warmth of the fire. "Maybe you do."

"No." Ravyn took a step back, hitting the cold wall behind her. She couldn't think of anything intelligent to say. Her mind was a muddled mess of everything they went through together.

"Why does that scare you?" Kurt was between her and the fire, casting a shadow on her figure. The fire behind him only made his eyes glow more. He stopped a foot away from her.

"I'm not scared of anyone." Ravyn managed to stutter out. Kurt took a step towards her, closing the gap between them. "Only you," she whispered, weakly, as she pressed herself against the wall to get away from him. She felt scrutinized under his gaze, yet her eyes never left his.

Kurt was glad that he had alcohol in his system, which was giving him the courage he needed to confront her. For a moment they stood still, their lips inches away, uncertain. They both knew what the other wanted, but not what they did. Kurt could smell the overpowering smell of alcohol on Ravyn's breath. Was he taking advantage of her? Did she even know what was happening? Kurt pulled away slightly.

Ravyn's hand gently grasped his collar as her eyes switched from his eyes to his mouth. Kurt threw caution into the wind and did what they both expected. He kissed her.


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: Yes, I'm back, and I haven't given up on this story! I am so sorry for the delay. I actually finished writing a chapter last month, but I hated it more than any other chapter I've written. The characters were getting a little OOC and just made me annoyed in general. So I deleted the whole chapter and tried again. I don't know when the next time I'll update would be, but I'm desperately trying to have a new chapter every month. Anyways, I hope you enjoy Chapter 17... **

17.

Before she even opened her eyes, Ravyn knew it would be hard to get through the day. It wasn't like the last few days were a walk in the park, but she knew the next twenty-four hours were going to be bad. Her eyes were still closed, but the familiar pulsation of a hangover lay on her forehead. She took a deep breath and shivered at the cold she had sucked into her body. She stuck her nose into the makeshift blanket… her tablecloth? Her eyes drowsily opened. For a moment she didn't know where she was. She half expected herself to be in her room at the Xavior Institute, her capture and escape being nothing more than a bad dream. She stared a while at the overturned furniture and the trashcan in the middle of the room, as well as her discarded coat beside her, blocking her sight of the kitchen. She sighed and snuggled deeper into the tablecloth.

A moist breath hit the back of her neck and she stiffened, her blood freezing in her veins. It was then that she realized that the majority of the warmth she felt came from a body. She felt a pulse, the very life of a person, against her back. It didn't take many brain cells to figure out who lay beside her. Was she really that drunk last night? Did they- Ravyn looked down at her body underneath the blanket and was relieved to find that she was still wearing her clothes. She relaxed significantly before noticing Kurt's arm, which was wrapped tightly around her waist. His three-fingered hand lay limp, lightly touching her stomach.

Ravyn rolled her eyes. How did she keep getting into situations without remembering how she got into them? The previous night reconstructed itself in her mind. She talked about Connor, they got into an argument, and then he kissed her. She remembered every line she had said to him that led up to the action, but more importantly, she remembered what she felt when he kissed her.

Love. Her stomach began to perform belly flops and the room started to spin. She didn't want the kiss to end, but the emotions she felt were so foreign, they scared the shit out of her. So, in the end, she slapped him.

Ravyn shuddered, remembering the apologetic face Kurt had on his face after her hand made contact with his face. Her face probably had a ridiculous, shocked expression.

What happened afterwards? She couldn't remember. Did she faint? Oh God. Did she invite him to bed with her? Her face burned up at the thought of it. She made a solemn vow never to touch alcohol again. In one, swift move, she broke away from his embrace and into the frigid air.

Kurt shot up at the sudden loss of heat and rubbed his eyes, clearing away the disorientation from his sight and mind. Ravyn couldn't bring herself to look at him directly, and chose to distract herself by slipping her coat around her shoulders.

"'Morning," Kurt mumbled, casually stretching out his arms.

Ravyn glared in his general direction. How dare he pretend that nothing happened. It didn't take Kurt long to notice. He sighed, acknowledging the beginning of a new day. "What?"

His companion spoke through gritted teeth. "Nothing." She threw his coat at him. "C'mon, let's go." She stopped stiffly at the door, which was barricaded shut with pieces of wood of all sizes. The wind shrieked fiercely outside, reminding her of the snowstorm that still blazed beyond the door.

"You can't teleport in this weather." It was a statement; not a question.

"I can try." Kurt was suddenly beside her loosening his arms and cracking his knuckles. Outside, they heard a snap of a tree branch followed by a muffled clunk. "Or… we could stay here and wait out the storm."

Ravyn shook her head resolutely. "No. I can't stay here. Were leaving-" She pushed away furniture and wrenched open the door.

The freezing wind hit her face like a two-ton train and the air refused to go down her lungs. She backed into Kurt, who, like always, stood with her like an immovable wall. "C'mon, Ravyn! Let's wait it out!" He yelled over the howling of the wind.

The determined look on her face silenced him. The girl was stubborn enough to fight a blizzard to get her way. Her hand grasped his wrist tightly and pulled him forward into the storm with her.

It wasn't long before she fell; the only thing anchoring her to the path was Kurt, who looked around wildly. He had no idea where he was and couldn't see more than a couple of feet in front of them. "This is insane… Lillian!" He shouted, hoping her name would knock reason into her.

Ravyn clutched his arm like her life depended on it and strained her eyes on where she knew their salvation would be. She had seen it many times, but never thought it would be an important object. The wind let up slightly, allowing her to catch a glimpse of red paint.

"Bingo," she smirked cockily, thanking herself that her pothead neighbors never changed. With a renewed burst of strength, she pushed through the dunes of snow. Once Kurt caught sight of what she was heading for, he pulled her towards him and teleported.

Ravyn was thrust from the force of the teleportation into the backseat of a car. It creaked slightly under their sudden combined weight.

Kurt repositioned himself into the driver's seat as Ravyn jumped into the seat beside him. "I don't suppose you'd have the keys to this thing?"

Before he stopped talking, Ravyn began playing with the side of the steering wheel. "I'll have to hotwire it," she stated quietly, more to herself than to Kurt.

In five minutes, the car engine roared to life. Ravyn smiled triumphantly at Kurt.

The car lurched forward, only to get stuck in a pile of snow. The snow-ploughed main road was visible: so close, yet impossible to get to.

Kurt pressed harder on the gas, but felt the car only sink deeper into the piles of snow. "Come on," he grunted, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. Every breath he took in fueled his anger and frustration. He felt his pulse quicken.

"Kurt, stop!" Ravyn grabbed his shoulder and shook it. The wheels of the car were irreversibly stuck in the snow.

Kurt shrugged off her hand and stared at the road. Maybe it was his lack of sleep, warmth, and food. But he swore that the road audibly mocked his existence.

"Look, we'll find another way." Ravyn said, disappointed, but levelly. She could tell that Kurt was frustrated, and she knew what men could do when they got into that frame of mind.

"No. We're getting on that road."

Kurt placed one of his hands on the roof of the car. The other one gripped Ravyn's shoulder. Closing his eyes tightly, he pressed the gas pedal and teleported.

* * *

><p>Mystique wandered purposefully through the tunnels of the secret government headquarters. Safely disguised as a guard, she strode confidently in front of the bright lights of the prison cells before stopping at a heavy iron door. Hinges creaked in protest as it opened. She walked purposefully to a large filing cabinet in the corner. Beside the cabinets and drawers were several television screens that alternated views of the various hallways and cells. A lone metal chair was in front of the television screens, obviously for the guard who was supposed to watch them. Before opening the drawer, Mystique felt the metal chair. It was still warm from the body of the guard who had left.<p>

Mystique hurriedly opened the drawers and thumbed through its contents. In no time, she pulled out the file that had the name 'Wagner, Kurt' neatly written on top. Opening the file, she set aside the gruesome pictures and quickly scanned the papers for information. She muttered some of the words she found in the file, before she came to the word 'escaped'. Her hand flew to her mouth and she breathed a sigh of relief. She read the sentence out loud.

"He escaped on December 10, helped by telepath, Jimmy Bondus (captive), with healer, Kitty Pryde."

Mystique was so engrossed in what she was reading that she had no time to react when the door was flung over to reveal the face of a guard. A steaming cup of coffee was in his outstretched hand. Mystique turned to face him calmly, relying on her disguise to keep her safe.

"Whaddaya doin' here?" the guard asked suspiciously.

"A scientist told me to check on the files," Mystique said. Her voice was that of a gruff, middle-aged man. She picked up Kurt's file and placed it back in the drawer.

The guard pushed to door wide open to reveal a man dressed in a white lab coat beside him. Both men in the door drew guns and aimed it at the disguised mutant.

The man in the white lab coat spoke. "I am the only scientist here, and I gave no such order. Turn around and keep your hands where I can see them."

Mystique obeyed. She felt the guard roughly pat her down. "He's clean," he announced.

"How did you get in here?" The man in the lab coat asked, his gun still trained on her unprotected chest.

Mystique smiled. "You're men aren't too secretive about this place when they are trying to please me." The guard disguise peeled off her and was replaced with that of a woman. Thick, gently-curled, blonde hair fell down past her shoulders and her eyes changed to a bright blue hue. The figure of a man morphed into the tall slim curves. Her chest visibly grew and her legs stretched longer. A tight, scarlet dress formed against her body, showing off all her bodily assets

The guard stared at her with a confused, but slightly impressed expression. The hand holding his gun quivered slightly.

The scientist's eyes narrowed and he gulped visibly. He blinked to clear his mind, but couldn't get the vision of the beautiful lady out of his head. "What are you doing here, mutant?"

Mystique dropped her arms to her side in resignation. She spoke slowly, deadly. "I'm looking for my son. Do you remember him? No? Here's a refresher." She transformed again. The beautiful lady was gone, and in her place was a dark blue mutant with fire-red hair. The scientist's breath was taken away by her gold eyes, which glowed with intensity.

Without warning, the guard pulled the trigger of his gun. Mystique fell into a split, the bullet grazing the top of her head. She pushed herself off the ground and cartwheeled towards the guard, who was in the process of reloading his gun. Grabbing him, she swung his body around hers in time to shield herself from a bullet shot from the scientist's gun. The guard paled as he looked down at the dart protruding from his chest. Mystique cracked his neck and stepped over his crumpled body.

The scientist backed up towards the door, his hands shaking too much to reload the gun. Using quick and precise moves, Mystique unarmed him.

"P-Please," the scientist stammered, "I have a family…. And t-two kids."

"So do I," Mystique said before shooting him in the head with the dart gun. Light blue liquid stained his face. Taking aim again, Mystique shot again. She took her time reloading before burying another dart into the scientist's brain.

Casually, Mystique tossed the gun aside and leafed through the file cabinets one more time before tearing out a page from Jimmy Bondus' file. Smiling sweetly at the two dead men at her feet, she left the room.

* * *

><p>Cold. It was all he felt around him and inside him. He didn't know whether or not to be thankful since because of his freezing insides, he failed to feel the pain that he knew was inflicted on his small body. Jimmy tried to sit up, but fell to a lying position with a dull thud.<p>

The dark figure of a woman leaned over him, blocking out the light. The ghost held a dart gun. She could have been pretty. She had a nice figure and flawless skin, somewhat moist from sweat, but her face took away every ounce of beauty she would have. Her eyes screamed murder as they stared pitilessly into his, eating away at his soul. Her hair was long, brown, and tangled, and her face was smeared with mud and blood.

He held out his little hand to her. "Why did you leave me? We promised," he whispered, tears clouding his fevered eyes.

Her fingers were inches away from his when they stopped. She looked up, as if to ponder whether or not to help the suffering child beneath her. She pulled her hand away from his grasp.

"Help me," Jimmy sobbed out.

The girl stopped in her retreat away from him. "No." Her voice echoed through the walls of the cell. As her voice faded into silence, so did the vision, and before long, Jimmy was left alone in the cell.

There were many things that couldn't be forgiven, and Jimmy was bound to let the girl pay for leaving him.

It wasn't long before another figure entered his cell. Instead of the humanly ghost of his dreams, this woman was blue. She had scarlet red hair that reached her shoulders and gold eyes that glowed intensely.

"Jimmy?" Her voice was low and manly.

"What do you want with me? Get away!" Jimmy began to cry kicking his feet in a feeble attempt to keep the strange woman away.

"Sh…" the woman cooed. She pulled him towards her and began to stroke his hair in a comforting manner. As soon as jimmy relaxed against her, she picked him up and headed towards the door. "I'm here to help you, Jimmy. I'll help you find your parents if you help me in return."

Jimmy nodded feebly against the kind woman's shoulder. Mystique smiled and walked out of the prison cell.


	19. Chapter 18

**Hi! I'm back, so new chapters are coming up! Enjoy. :)**

18.

Lily never knew so much could happen in a blink of an eye. She had closed her eyes as she and Kurt entered the teleportation stage and when she opened them, they were still inside the car, but were racing down the main road at a breakneck speed.

"Kurt, slow down!" She could feel the tires beneath her start to slip under the influence of the icy road.

Kurt only grunted an answer, abruptly turning the steering wheel. The car swerved from side to side, trying to stay on the road. Lily grabbed the sides of her seat as the car spun out of control before coming to an instant stop.

For a while, both mutants stared blankly out the car window, breathing heavily.

"I swear to god, you do that again, I'll kill you," Lily stated, swallowing hard to keep the alcohol she had drank inside her.

Kurt mumbled an apology and slowly returned the car to a significantly slower pace. It only took Lily a few minutes to know that the car ride would be a silent one, and she folded down the car shade mirror. The skin on her face seemed to be a couple of shades darker due to the amount of dust and dirt caked on it. Her hair, though pulled back, resembled dreadlocks adorned with multicolored twigs and other miscellaneous, small rocks. Eventually, her attention was drawn to her eyes. They were wide open and bigger than she had ever seen before. After she expertly read them, she slammed the mirror shut, shocked at what she saw.

Concern was the main emotion they held. That, and hope. They were two of the many things she grew up without and learned to deny. The X-men had changed everything about her. In a matter of a few months they broke down walls that took years to build up.

And now, one of them even knew her name. Lily took a quick, sidelong glance at Kurt. His mouth was tightly shut in a grim line, his eyes not leaving the road for a second.

As they passed by the "Welcome to Bayville" sign, Lily began to laugh. For the first time since they started driving, Kurt looked at her. "What?"

"It's funny. How long have we been gone? Four, maybe five days? This is the first time I actually think we're gonna make it home."

"Well, don't jinx it. We're not home yet, and we still have to hide this car."

Lily put her feet up on the dashboard, sighing contently. "I think we'll be fine. They stole it first. Can't report something is stolen when it doesn't belong to you."

Kurt chuckled, infected by Lily's good mood. He brought the car to a stop beside the gate of the Xavier institute.

For a while they just sat in the car, each going over the events of the last few days, waiting for the other to unbuckle their seatbelt.

Kurt was the first to speak. "So… we made it."

"Yeah, we did."

"… Shouldn't we go?"

The smile dropped from Lily's face. "Nothing's stopping you."

Kurt unbuckled his seatbelt and was about to open his door, when he stopped and looked at her. "What's stopping you?"

Lily took a deep breath, very aware of the fact that Kurt was staring at her and she couldn't make herself look back. "Have you ever stopped to realize that the past few days were my fault?"

"What?"

Lily continued, ignoring him. "And everyone knows it, too. I will walk in there to face relieved people who I don't really give a shit about crying over me. If not that, it would be people yelling at me because my stupid mistake dragged you down with me."

"Do you really think that lying to yourself will make you feel better?" Kurt asked, cutting her off.

Lily's neck snapped at the suddenness with which she used to turn and face him. "You think I'm lying." The words were stated, not asked.

"I know you 'give a shit about' these people. You've worked with them for two months, you're happiest when you're around them… they're the only family you've got, now."

"That's not true," Lily interjected, her eyebrows pulling down into a frown.

"Then why don't you go back to them, huh? Your other family. What's stopping you?"

Lily didn't answer.

"We are."

Lily broke eye contact to shake her head, staring defiantly at the street. "That's not true," she echoed in a whisper. Her hands were clenched tightly on her lap, her defense against the tears that she didn't allow to well in her eyes.

Once Lily looked away, so did Kurt. "Second, no one forced me to stay with you."

"What? No, I did!" Lily said, almost indignantly.

"I would've stayed even if you didn't ask me to. You should know that by now."

Lily slowly reached over and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Kurt."

"Lillian?"

"Call me Lily. Only my mom is allowed Lillian."

"Fine. What, Lily?"

Lily opened her mouth to say something then abruptly closed it. "Um-nothing. Let's go." Before Kurt could stop her she opened her car door and got out.

* * *

><p>Rogue took a staggered breath, smiling grimly at the freezing air which momentarily froze her lungs. In her hands was a previously crumpled up letter. The handwriting was undoubtedly that of a man, quickly and messily scribbled: a spur of the moment note.<p>

With a frustrated and angry shout, she ripped up the letter and threw it into the howling wind. A piece flew back onto her lap. On it was the conclusion of the letter 'Sincerely, Remy'. Stoically, Rogue placed her finger beside it and flicked it onto the ground.

She stood at the sound of the institute's front gates opening. Admitted into the grounds were two figures, both dressed in large black coats. "Stay back!" She warned, slipping one of her long, black gloves off. She had no patience for mutant haters.

The taller figure looked up briefly, and Rogue caught a glimpse of blue skin and gold eyes. Her lungs stopped working.

"No…" She backed away, not trusting the evidence her eyes gave her.

The figures still approached, and one of them slipped off their hood.

"Ravyn?" Rogue's voice came back. A high pitched scream pierced the air as Rogue sprinted for what she only hoped was not a hallucination.

She jumped, her arms hooking around the taller figure's neck. Kurt's laugh met her ears.

Tears fell shamelessly down her cheeks and onto his shoulder. She didn't want to let go of her little brother's body, afraid that he would disappear if she did.

"Rogue, what 's going-" Evan, dressed in a white t-shirt and navy sweatpants, appeared in the front door. His eyes darted from Rogue, who was currently wrapped in a close hug with Kurt, to Lillian, who stood awkwardly, but unmoving, a few feet away.

He didn't care if he wasn't wearing shoes. He followed Rogue's course and slammed straight into Lillian, laughing hysterically.

"No… geeze, you're alive! You're really… Oh god!" He stepped back and looked at Lillian's unscathed face. "Don't ever do that again!" He pulled her into a hug.

Lillian didn't answer right away. She had just gotten used to being called 'Lillian' again, and was tempted to correct him. She fought the urge down. It felt right to keep her rightful name between her and Kurt. "Aren't you cold?"

He knew that she was genuinely concerned, and wasn't joking, but in his relieved state of mind, anything that came out of her mouth was hilarious. He laughed hard for a few seconds before noticing that she was staring at him, a serious expression pinned on her face.

Wiping off his stupid grin, he led the way inside. They had just set foot inside the mansion when Kurt was subjected to a hug from Kitty, who was talking too fast for anyone to understand. She jumped from emotion to emotion; first hitting her best friend with her bare fists, cursing him for worrying her, and the crying in his arms. Kurt dealt with her mania like a gentleman: silently and comfortingly.

Lillian was suddenly wrenched out of Evan's embrace to face a furious Wolverine. His claws were out, the tip of the middle claw mere millimeters from her neck.

Kurt gently untangled himself from Kitty and approached Lillian. "Logan-". Wolverine's claws snapped to face him, only missing skin because Kurt moved back at the last moment.

"You stay out of this, elf."

Evan took an involuntary step back. He knew that Logan wouldn't dare hurt one of his students, and any student knew that it was better to stay away from their teacher when he was irate. But looking at him again, Evan couldn't remember a time when Logan ever looked at a student with such a deathly glare.

Kurt stayed where he was. He bent his legs slightly, ready to jump into action if things went out of control. Logan returned his claws to their prievious position: Lily's neck.

Heavy breaths littered his question. "Do you have… any idea… what your stupidity did to us?"

"Logan." All eyes turned to the professor, who was watching from the doorway of his office.

"Chuck, not now."

"Let her go." His word's filled the room and echoed in each of the mutants' minds.

Logan loosened the grip he had on her coat and removed his claws from her neck. His body was rigid and his breaths were deep and audible. "Danger Room. Tomorrow. 6am." His eyes never left hers as he spoke.

After Logan was a safe distance away from Lily, the professor spoke. "I'm sure that Jean and Scott would be happy to know that these two are alive. Kurt, Ravyn, can I speak to you in my office?"

Logan shared a knowing glance with the professor before leaving the room. Rogue, Evan, and Kitty climbed the stairs as Kurt and Lily disappeared behind the professor's door.

"Sit down." The professor ordered, moving his wheelchair to face them. After they had a moment to get comfortable in their seats, he continued. "Start from the beginning."

For fifteen minutes, Kurt told their story. His account was thorough, except for the night they spent in Picketsville, for which Lily was thankful.

Once Kurt finished, the professor turned to her. "Anything to add, Ravyn?"

She stayed silent, not making eye contact with anything but the ground.

"Wait, what happened when they took you out of our cell?" Kurt asked, concern lacing his words.

Lily kept her eyes on the ground as she spoke. "They took me to a room. A scientist shot me, then Jimmy, then told me I was 'perfect for their experiment', then-"

The professor leaned forward in his wheelchair. "And you don't know what the experiment is? Think, Ravyn, this is really important."

Her heart rate quickened. Sure, she had an idea of what the experiment was. She had seen it on the scientist's clipboard as she and Jimmy raced out of the testing room. She looked the professor straight in the eye. "No."

The professor relaxed in his chair. "Alright," he sighed, "You both go and get something to eat, wash up, and rest. Ravyn, you will not meet with Logan tomorrow."

At the mention of eating, Kurt sat up straighter. Nodding to the professor, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Ignoring the sulfuric smell, Lily got up to leave.

_You aren't good at lying._

Lily stopped in her tracks. "Stay out of my head, professor," she said, darkly, her hands clenched by her sides. She walked out of his office without one look back.

Lillian had eaten and washed up as the professor asked, before retiring to her bedroom. The entire evening, every x-men had asked her about her adventure, having heard Kurt's perspective. The continuous stream of questions, which she dodged, succeeded only in irritating her.

Upon entering her room, she found Kitty and Kurt conversing in hushed tones. Kitty, though speaking, distracted herself by playing with the hologram watch on Kurt's wrist. Turning it slightly, Kitty caused Kurt to change from a demonic figure to a normal teenage boy.

"What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," Kitty said.

"Why?"

"Thought you might like to see what's been happening over the past few days." Kitty threw a newspaper on the bed. The front page headline read: The Mutant's First Strike. Lily quickly scanned the article grimly, but her eyes were continually drawn to the picture of the journalist who had supposedly written it. For a split second, shock crossed her eyes, but she quickly hit it. Her hands growing numb by the second, Lily quickly handed back the paper.

"I guess we won't be wandering outside anytime soon."

"It's gotten worse than that. They're, like, stock piling weapons against us, and-"

"Oh, just the thought I need before going to bed," Lily interrupted, sarcastically, her brain still spinning from the newspaper.

Kitty's jaw tightened, but she managed to speak levelly. "Yeah, I guess you need sleep. I'll see you two tomorrow."

Once she left, Kurt stood up. "What's wrong?"

Lily looked at him, taking in his new appearance. "Well, for starters, your appearance…"

"I'm serious."

Lily sighed deeply, flopping down on her bed. All she wanted at the moment was to fall asleep. "The journalist, the one who wrote the article. It's Connor."

Kurt looked at her as if she was crazy. "That can't be true. What would he have with a newspaper?"

"He's working on something. Everything he does has a well-thought out plan behind it. Who can he kill with connections to a newspaper?"

"I think you're giving him too much credit. It must just be a coincidence. Maybe it's not even him."

Lily was not convinced, but she reluctantly nodded her head. In order to steer the conversation away from Conner, she looked over Kurt. "You do know how ridiculous you look ,right?"

Kurt still looked worried, but he smiled. "A few months ago, you were complaining about my other appearance… Make up your mind!" he added with mock frustration.

Lily's mouth pulled up into a smirk as she remembered their first meeting. "That was then," she stated under her breath.

Kurt, oblivious to her comment, made to leave her room.

"Um, thank you, by the way. For not telling the professor about Picketsville.

Kurt suddenly turned and approached her. "What exactly happened in Picketsville?"

"You don't remember?" Lily looked him in the eye, hopeful that he didn't remember.

"No, I remember… but what was it? A result of exhaustion? Inebriation?"

"Kurt, stop." Lily stood, her body inches away from his, and looked into his eyes. "Nothing can happen between you and me. That was only a one-time thing," she paused. "I can't lose you," she added in a whisper.

"What if you won't? Why are you so jaded against everything?" Kurt said, raising his voice in exasperation.

Lily ran her hands through her slightly damp hair. "I'm practical! I don't live in a world where I get a happy ending. I'm not stupid, Kurt."

"Look me in the eye and tell me that you're sure we would fail if we tried."

Lily crossed her arms and took a step away from him. "You know I can't."

Kurt sighed. "Goodnight, Lily."

He was almost out the door when Lily caught up with him. "Wait, Kurt."

Once Kurt turned, she threw caution in the wind. Standing on her tiptoes, she put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him.


	20. Chapter 19

**Hi, there. So I'm officially back from my hiatus. I feel as if my summer was a hundred times busier than my regular school year. Point is, I had no time to breathe, let alone write during the summer. But anyways, my older brother mentioned this thing called NaNo WriMo, and told me I should 'try my hand at writing again' (he still thinks I haven't written anything in years). I'm not sure I will join this year, but I really like the concept. I am going to make a resolution to write at least a little bit of this story every day in the month of Nov. and see how it turns out. Enjoy the chapter! **

19.

Lillian expertly weaved through the various obstacles in the danger room. Instead of mechanical arms and guns, the danger room contained padded beams and walls, which moved quickly across the floor or levitated a few feet above the ground. She closely avoided a high beam by dropping to the ground. In the distance was her target destination, a large backpack.

A red light, attached to a moving wall, blinked. Lily deftly drew her gun, expertly aimed it with one hand, and shot the target. The red light promptly went dark.

"Very good, Ravyn," the professor's voice sounded from her earpiece.

She smiled as she heard the compliment and stepped between two walls. Immediately, she was blindsided by a beam. Its force threw her off course, sliding her across the slippery floor. She wasn't completely healed when she shot up to continue the course. She pushed the beam away from her and continued to dodge oncoming walls and poles.

Up in the booth, the Professor watched intently. He was proud of how much she had learned, three weeks after coming back to the institute. Together they had discovered the extent of her powers and trained on the responsible usage of them. They found that she could not only take wounds off someone's body, but could transfer them to another's. She could also transfer wounds to inanimate objects, but they soon discovered that it drained her energy to do so.

Lily had reached the backpack and slung it over her shoulder, stooping slightly under the weight. Scott, who sat beside the professor, pressed a few buttons.

"I'm turning on a light. Jean, activate beam 5."

Jean was sitting on the other side of the professor. She obediently pulled a lever and, used her mind levitate it and move it towards Lily.

Scott turned to Kurt. "Your girlfriend is really good at this course."

Kurt smiled and craned his neck to get a better view of the danger room. He was seated on a desk behind Jean, Scott, and the Professor. In the room below, he saw Lily draw, aim, and shoot her gun in one, fluid movement. The moving light simultaneously turned off.

Kurt turned to look at Evan, who was casually leaning against the wall across from him. His friend was looking observingly down into the danger room, a stoic expression on his face. Ever since he and Lily got together, Evan's expression more or less remained the same.

"Evan?"

Evan quickly looked at him, his mouth twitching into a practiced smirk. "Yeah," he said, pointing down at Lily, "she's just really good. I don't want to do the course after her." Once Kurt looked away, his face returned to its emotionless expression.

"She made it," the professor announced, before moving out of the room.

As soon as Lily crossed the finish line, she fell over, exhausted. She moved the ridiculously full backpack away from her and focused on slow breathing. She lay flat on the floor, concentrating on the illuminated ceiling.

A muted gunshot sounded in the danger room, and Lily opened her eyes to find a pair of gold ones staring down at her. She smiled and allowed herself to be pulled up.

"Did you see the hit I took?" she asked, rubbing her side.

"Yeah, it looked painful."

"It was-," Lily averted her eyes and thought back. "Actually, it didn't hurt," she paused, the corners of her mouth pulling down, thoughtfully, "At all."

Kurt, oblivious to the thoughts in her head, chuckled and pulled her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head affectionately. It had taken him close to four months to get to know Lily, not Ravyn, and he was still discovering new things about her daily. He slowly realized the small things she did that gave away her emotions. He knew that she would cock her head to one side slightly when she was annoyed or confused. He noticed that she would clench her hands whenever she was even the slightest bit angry. Finally, though it wasn't until weeks into their relationship, he noticed that instead of saying the traditional 'I love you', she would suddenly get silent, smile, then wink at him.

They broke apart when Logan strode through the door, followed by the Professor.

"How did I do?"

"Very well," the Professor said, sharing a look with Logan, "but, you were distracted when the pole hit you. You cannot allow anything to distract you and you must be prepared for surprises."

"Fine," Lily said, her hands clenching slightly before relaxing.

"Good," Logan grunted before lunging towards her.

Lily stumbled backwards, avoiding Logan's teasing claws. Kurt quickly got into the middle of the attack and grabbed both of Logan's wrists. "Logan, what're you doing?"

"Kurt, it's fine. She won't get hurt," the Professor said. Kurt backed off, still glaring at Logan.

Logan extended his hand to Lily. "Get up, kid. Let's dance."

Lily bit her lip and a shadow fell upon her face as she smirked up at him. Without hesitation, she jumped to her feet and whipped out her gun. Logan calmly stepped forward and knocked the gun out of her hands with his claw. "Is that all?"

Lily's hands were clenched tightly into fists. The next time Logan attacked, she leaned to the side and grabbed his arm. She brought her other hand down on his exposed shoulder. Logan felt pain radiate down his arm, and watched it fall to his side, temporarily useless. With his uninjured arm, he swung at Lily, who caught the punch and fell to the floor. As she dropped to the floor, she swept his unprotected legs. Instead of falling, the heavy set man was forced onto one knee.

Lily wriggled out of his grasp and staggered to her feet. "Come on, Logan, use your claws! Scared you're gonna hurt me?"

Logan's promise to the Professor went out the window when he drew both his claws. "Logan," the Professor warned, but his friend didn't listen. He charged at the girl, who, instead of going on the defensive, ran towards him.

It happened to fast to register in Logan's mind. He heard the horrible sound of impaling and suddenly felt a heavy weight on his claws. He stared in complete shock at Lily, suspended above the ground. The only things holding her up were his claws, which stuck grotesquely in her chest. Her cold hand lay softly on his cheek.

Logan crumpled to the ground, three puncture holes in his chest. Lily landed on her feet and her eyes glazed over as she stared blankly past him.

Kurt got over his shock and raced to the scene. He pushed Lily away from Logan, before kneeling by the large man, who lay as motionless as Lily. Slowly, the three puncture holes on Logan's body closed up, and Logan sprang up. He collided with Kurt, who held his own against Logan's rage.

Logan was furious. His anger only grew when he realized that he had trained Kurt so well, the teacher couldn't even get passed his student.

"Logan, Ravyn." The Professor's voice sounded in their heads. Logan reluctantly dropped his arms. "Ravyn, come with me."

The Professor and Lily left the danger room. They met Evan outside, waiting for his turn to go in. He mumbled a hello to the Professor, before his gaze landed on Lily. Her mouth was clenched in a tight, straight line; her eyes scrunched down into a frown. Her hands were clenched by her side.

He grabbed her arm as she walked past, but she coldly rejected his gesture. She followed the Professor away from the danger room to the foyer of the mansion.

Lily opened the door to the professor's study, and, as soon as they were both inside, slammed it. "I can't feel it. Why can't I feel it, anymore?"

Her voice filled the small room; pure frustration laced her words.

"What can't you feel?" The Professor's voice was as calm as always.

"Pain."

The elderly man folded his hands in front of him and leaned into them, an interested, but concerned expression on his face. "Pain? Ravyn, why do you want to feel pain?"

Lily stayed silent, and sat dejectedly in one of the comfy chairs in the room. She smiled grimly at the wall and shook her head, looking everywhere but her mentor. The Professor had seen the action done as a way of fighting back anger and tears.

He pressed, "Why do you want pain, Ravyn?"

"Because," she exploded, "It's the only thing that convinces me I'm not a mutant. Pain makes me feel like I have a connection with normal people." She didn't cry, but the desperation in her voice moved him.

"I thought you had changed your view on mutants since you came back."

Lily sank deeper into the cushions of her chair. She would never admit it herself, but the Professor's words of disappointment stung her.

It was a while before she spoke. "Professor, please, why?"

Her mentor controlled his wheelchair to his side of the desk. "I can't know that."

"Guess."

The Professor sighed. "It's most likely an evolution of your power. You're powers have developed so much that… that you can get rid of wounds so quickly, you don't feel any of its effects. This is nothing to be angry about, Ravyn. You are getting stronger."

Lily took deep breath and ran her fingers through her brown hair, clearing her mind. The Professor waited patiently to remove her hands from her face. After she did so, she spoke, "Am I done?"

"That's all up to you. Do you have anything you want to talk to me about?"

She shook her head and got up. When she was outside his office, she noticed Kurt leaning casually against the center table of the foyer. As soon as he noticed her, he straightened up.

"Are you okay?"

Lily wanted to be alone, and let out a grim smile. "Yeah."

"What happened?"

Lily wished that she could tell him the whole truth, but she found herself habitually lying through her smile. "Nothing," she began, "the Professor just told me my ability's getting stronger… so, hey! That's good, right?" She tried in vain to convince herself.

When Kurt didn't look convinced, she continued, "Listen, I'll see you at dinner. Rogue wanted to see me after my session in the danger room."

She gave Kurt a quick peck on the cheek, and, before he could offer to walk her to Rogue, she hurried up the stairs. Once turning the corner, she breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly walked into the upstairs bathroom and locked the door.

She was breathing heavily as she slid to the floor, her speeding heart rate ringing in her ears. She wrapped her arms around her body and looked up at the ceiling, trying to stay sane. Her mind kept reminding her of what she told Kurt only three months ago. _Pain is the only thing that makes me feel like a human._ The pain was gone; her humanity was gone. Because of her mutant power everything changed: her life, her job, her looks. The only thing she had held onto from her previous life was stripped from her.

Her eyes caught sight of an object to the side of the double sinks across from her: Scott's razor. She let out her breath slowly and stood in front of the mirror. The reflection that stared back was flawless. Her skin held no blemishes or inconsistencies. Her eyes and hair were bright and healthy, yet across her figure all she could think of was the word 'mutant'. She was as much a mutant as Kurt was. She couldn't even mentally call herself a human, anymore. She was a freak, and technically, the government considered her illegal and open to experiment.

She had made a promise to herself that she would not test her powers using unorthodox methods after hte drug incident, yet, when her hands closed upon the razor, her heart rate slowed to a calming, normal beat.

Lightly, she broke the skin and dragged the razor down the length of her arm. A drop of blood seeped through the crack, but the skin closed and returned to its perfect state. Instead of feeling the tickling sensation of skin breaking, she felt numb waves close her wound.

She tried again, this time adding a little more pressure. She gained the same results, the numbness only becoming more intense in her arm. In a sudden fit of frustration, Lily banged both her fists on the counter, knocking down bottles of products.

"C'mon," she prayed, not knowing whether she was talking to God or herself. "Please, give me something."

She broke skin again, this time allowing blood to flow freely from the wound. The wound closed up faster than the past two times. She no longer felt the familiar tingling of her healing ability acting up.

Lily lost it. Her mind and senses seemed far away; she lived in the moment, where only one thing mattered: pain. She slashed her arm again and again, blood splattering onto the mirror from the sheer force she brought the razor down into the bloody mess she once called her arm.

The numb feeling encased her entire arm and she saw the red lines she created quickly disappear. Hot tears coursed freely down her face as she began slashing everywhere she had exposed skin: her face, her neck, her arms.

Her entire body had erupted with the numbing tingle of painless suffering when her mind finally decided to come back to her. "Drop it." Her voice came out unsteadily as she echoed the words reverberating in her head. The razor clattered uselessly to the ground and she took a step back, inspecting the mess that was the bathroom.

Blood. Her blood was everywhere. On the walls, the counter, and the floor were stained with an ugly, deep red color. Through the red-splattered mirror she saw glimpses of herself, covered in the same reddish hue. Her tears had created streaks of her skin color down her face. The room started spinning, due to the extreme blood loss she caused.

"Oh, god," she gasped out, the stench finally reaching her senses. She turned on the faucets and watched as the water washed a small percentage of the red down the drain. She turned away from the mess, averting her mind from thinking of what she had done. She stepped into the shower and, while still wearing her clothes, turned on the water.

She tried to convince herself that she didn't actually do what she had done, like the first time she killed a person, but, like that first time, she failed. She was scared of the act she had commited; what lay behind the curtain. She still felt numb, as if her body was swollen and her ears were hearing through cotton.

She finally emerged, dripping wet, from the shower, and hurried to the nearby shelf, the only thing untouched by the blood, to find a towel. In a dazed state, she pulled a towel from the shelf at an awkward angle, and an object fell to the floor. She immediately recognized it as something she had handled many times before.

A camera. It was a small device no bigger than her fingernail that was used to document a victim's movements around their house or workplace. The numbing feeling suddenly left her body, replaced with a cold sweat. Who would be sick enough to place something like this in a bathroom? Lily ruled out everyone who lived in the mansion. If not them, then who? She picked it up to examine it further. She felt, rather than saw, the focus of the camera change. In a moment of panicked shock, she threw it into the toilet and flushed it down. The room suddenly stopped spinning as her body made up for the lost blood.

The cold anxiety and confusion was still with her as endless questions haunted her mind. She realized that, since she got rid of the evidence, she would never find the perpetrator. She turned to face her other impossible task.

Meanwhile, Logan had been entertaining himself with his motorbike, the only thing that seemed to take his mind off his near-death experience with Ravyn. Upon entering the house, his enhanced sense of smell caught the scent of blood. He would normally disregard it as a stupid prank played on a student or a bad week for one of the girls. However, the smell was so strong and apparent he felt the need for fresh air.

Tensely, he climbed the stairs to the source of the smell: the upstairs bathroom. A light, barely visible, stream of red was seeping from under the door.

Instinct leading into panic, Logan banged on the door. "Who's in there? Open up."

Ravyn jumped at the unexpected sound of the knocks, causing her to drop the razor that she had been cleaning. She identified Logan's voice.

"Hello? Who's in there?" Logan said, and, by the tone of his voice, Lily knew that he was going to knock down the door in seconds.

Gently, placing the clean razor on the counter, Lily unlocked the door.

Logan immediately pushed the door wide open to find the blood-filled room. In its epicenter stood Ravyn, dripping wet, with a scarlet-stained towel in her hands. Her clothes were ripped and permanently colored brownish red.

"The hell… the hell did you do?" Logan asked, incredulously.

Lily rubbed the stainless counter she had just finished cleaning, unable to form an excuse. "I-I can't feel anything, Logan-"

"So you ruin a bathroom to prove a point?" Logan said angrily, through clenched teeth. He stood absolutely rigid.

Lily met his glare, her lip quivering slightly. She wiped her hands on her pants before reaching over with her towel to wash the mirror.

"Get out."

Lily ignored him and continued producing streaks on the mirror. Suddenly, Lily's feet were off the floor and she was swept up and out of the room in one fluid motion. Logan dropped her onto her feet, outside the bathroom. "Go to your room. Now."

Her brain was scattered from the sudden change of location that for a while, she could only stare at him and mumble. Her armpits tingled, feeling somewhat violated by Logan's method of getting her out of the room. "B-but I gotta, I got to-"

"I'll take care of this. Go away."

Realization dawned on her. Stepping away from her teacher, she stuck out her hand. "Thank you," she choked out, still shocked.

Logan looked at her hand, but didn't take it. "I'll shake your hand when you pay me back for all the pain you cause me, kid."

A smile spread on her face, and she sprinted away from Logan, eager to get to the safety of her room. Once there, she got into dry clothes and lay on her bed. With her previous problem gone, her mind returned to focus on the camera she had found.

Curiosity won her over. She picked up her phone and dialed one of the first numbers she had ever memorized. She heard the phone began to ring, and her breaths became shallow with anticipation.

The voice on the other line began. "Hello?" Oh, god, his voice. It had gotten deeper in four months; more drawled and dangerous sounding.

Every ounce of her being was telling her to hang up, but she only gripped the phone tighter.

"You know that you know someone well when you can identify them by their breathing. Hello, Elle. How are you, babe?"

Instead of following her instinct and hanging up, she let his name slip past tense lips. "Connor. You set foot near me, I swear on my mother's grave, I will kill you."

Connor's chuckle, which had once served to comfort her, mocked her. "Oh, don't worry, babe, you're well-hidden from me. Uh... where are you, by the way?" Sarcasm drenched his words.

"Far from you. And the happiest I've ever been."

"Really?" He laughed, almost hysterically, "I don't believe you. Do you know why? If you were oh-so-happy, you wouldn't be calling my personal phone, now would you? You miss me."

Lily froze, realization dawning upon her. She did miss him, to some extent. Despite all the things he did, all the things he put her through, she still held on to the image of Connor, her first true friend: the friend who would protect her.

"Goodbye, Con." Lily was about to slam the phone down on its receiver when Connor stopped her.

"No, wait! Elle, wait. I've gotta ask: How's your arm? No scars, huh?"

Lily slammed the phone down, her heartbeat racing.


End file.
